Wolfgang Natter

1955 - 2018

NATTER Wolfgang George, 62, of Hermantown, MN, passed away on Sunday, April 29th, at home. Wolfgang George Natter was born in Speyer, Germany, to Wolfgang Ludwig Natter and Dolores Hornbach Natter (later Whelan) on May 22, 1955. He attended Wamogo High School as well as studying in Speyer. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1978 with a BA in German Language and History, Phi Beta Kappa. Following a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany, he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation, in book form, "Literature at War, 1914-1940, Representing the "Time of Greatness in Germany", was published by the Yale University Press in 1999. A gifted academic, he started his career in 1987 at the University of Kentucky, where he co-founded the Social Theory program, and earned tenure in three disciplines, (German, Geography, and Political Science), as well as co-editing a series of Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Theory with colleagues (1993-1996). In 2005, he took a position at Virginia Tech as founding director of the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT), establishing and encouraging multidisciplinary graduate study. He also held appointments abroad, including serving as the Leibniz Professor at the Research Academy, Leipzig, and as a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Germany. Subsequently, he served as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Political Science at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY, and then Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of Faculty, and Professor at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. In June 2017, he was appointed Vice President of Academic Affairs at the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN. Wolfgang was preceded in death by his mother, Dolores; father, Wolfgang; and his stepfather, Ross Whelan. Wolfgang is survived by his beloved son, Joseph R. U. Natter; the partner who brought him happiness and love late in life, Sarah Kendall; brother, Timothy Whelan and (Angela Haines-Mizia); aunts, Baerbel Schaefer and Brigitta Balint; and many cousins and friends. A Service will be held Thursday, May 10th, 5pm, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel, St. Scholastica Monastery, 1200 Kenwood Av, Duluth, Minnesota. Memorial Donations may be made to The Southern Poverty Law Center, White Memorial Conservation Center, Friends of the Arboretum (Lexington, KY), Wesleyan University financial aid, or a charity of your choice. Sunrise Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Please go to www.SunriseFuneralHomeandCemetery.com for additional information.