Dale Lawrence Rathke

Dale Lawrence Rathke, 64 years old, of New Orleans, Louisiana, passed away on Thursday, December 11, 2014. He is survived by his mother, Cornelia Ratliff Rathke, his brother, Stephen Wade Rathke (Marianna Elizabeth Butler), his nephew, Chaco Devlin, and niece, Marianna Dine'. His father was the late Edmann J. Rathke. He was born in Rangely, Colorado on March 16, 1950. He was valedictorian at Benjamin Franklin High School in 1967. He was a National Merit Scholar and Eagle Scout. He graduated from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1971, and received his Phd in English Literature from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey in 1973. He worked for 30 years as controller for Citizens' Consulting, Inc. (CCI) handling the finances and other projects for the ACORN family of organizations until 2008, and subsequently was a volunteer for the Chief Organizer Fund until his death. At various times he was on the board of Le Petit Theatre Advisory Board, New Orleans International Ballet Conference, Moscow Nights, Overture to the Cultural Season, Raintree Services, and Symphony Volunteers all in New Orleans. He was a member of Alliance Francaise, Ballet Resource and Volunteer Organization, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, English Speaking Union, Faulkner Society, French Quarter Citizens, Friends of Raintree, Guild of Le Petit Theatre, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Krewe of Cork, Longue Vue House and Gardens, L'Union Francaise, Men of Fashion, Metropolitan Museum, Metropolitan Opera Guild, Museum of Modern Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, NOMA, Obituary Cocktail Society, Overture to the Cultural Season, Patio Planters, Princeton Club of NYC, Santa Fe Opera Guild, St Charles Easter Parade, Whitney Museum, Yale Club of Louisiana, and Yale Club of NYC. He was also a supporter and active in many other social and cultural organizations. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 10th, 2015, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 2624 Burgundy Street, New Orleans. The body will be interred privately at Lake Lawn Park Mausoleum. To view and sign the family guestbook, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.com.