F. Gunther Eyck

EYCK F. GUNTHER EYCK F. Gunther Eyck of Alexandria, VA died on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at age 97. In the course of a long life he was a teacher, author, and government official. Born in Magdeburg, Germany in 1912, he was the second child of Hans and Erna Eyck. His education in that country ended with the Nazi rise to power in 1933. He emigrated to Palestine where he worked as a farm hand, taxi driver, and hotel clerk. In 1941, he joined the British Army''s Royal Corps of Signals, serving as a dispatch rider in Egypt. His earlier schooling and teaching ability led to his transfer to the Army Educational Corps in 1944. Demobilized in 1946, he briefly taught for the British Council before emigrating to the U.S. where much of his family had taken refuge in the late 1930''s. Resuming his academic career, he received a B.A. degree from Alma College, Alma, MI; and M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University (NYU), and a M.Sc. in library science from Columbia University, finishing his studies in 1955. Finding both love and home, he married Lisa Baruch, an American citizen, in 1948 and was naturalized in 1950. He taught modern European history at NYU, Rutgers University, and the University of Texas, and joined the newly founded School of International Service as a part-time lecturer in 1959. He served that school for forty-seven years, rising to the rank of Distinguished Adjunct Professor. Other teaching assignments included the U.S. Navy War College and the U.S. Army War College where he was appointed to the Henry L. Stimson Chair in Political Science in 1969. Much of his academic work ran parallel to that in the U.S. government. Between 1956 and 1960, he served in the CIA Area and Language School. In 1960, he joined the United States Information Agency (USIA) and worked in its Office of Research, mainly on Western European affairs, until 1982. In addition to several major reports for the Agency, he kept publishing on his own, mostly articles in learned journals, encyclopedias, and yearbooks. Upon retirement in 1982, he started on a third career: literary writing. A book on the history of European national anthems was added to a couple of previous books. Among unpublished manuscripts are a personalized chronicle of the twentieth century and a collection of short stories. There is also a series of diaries, kept since the birth of his son in 1954, and numbering more than fifty volumes. Whatever the fate or use of these writings, the greatest achievement in the mind of their author is that he had a part in raising three generations of solid Americans since he arrived in New York as an aspiring immigrant. He is survived by his wife; their two children, Andrew Hans of the same address and Audrey Susan of San Antonio, TX; two grandchildren, and two great grandchildren as well as three nieces. A Memorial Service will be held at the Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home, 1500 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA on Monday, October 26 at 12:30 p.m. Interment will be at Ivy Hill Cemetery, 2823 King Street, Alexandria, VA on Monday, October 26. Instead of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alma College, Alma, MI, 48801or the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC 20016.A Memorial Service will be held at the Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home, 1500 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA on Monday, October 26 at 12:30 p.m. Interment will be at Ivy Hill Cemetery, 2823 King Street, Alexandria, VA on Monday, October 26. Instead of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alma College, Alma, MI, 48801or the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC 20016.