Jack Fraenkel

Jack Fraenkel

Jack Fraenkel passed away peacefully at his San Francisco home after a long illness on January 24, 2013 at the age of 81.  He is survived by Marjorie, his loving wife of 52 years, and numerous friends and relatives who will miss his warmth, friendship and humor.

A memorial service will be held on the 12th of March, 2014 beginning at 11:00AM at the Vista Room in Burke Hall located on San Francisco State University campus.

Dr. Fraenkel was a member of the San Francisco State University faculty for over 30 years before retiring as Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education. He was also Director of the R&D Center in the College of Education for over a decade until 2000. Born in Chicago on April 04, 1932, he went on to graduate from Omaha University and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, where he served for two years and was stationed in Korea. After his service, Jack moved to California and began teaching history and social studies at both junior and high school levels. In 1966 he earned a Ph.D from Stanford University and shortly after began his tenure at SFSU.

During his career, Dr. Fraenkel wrote, edited and contributed to more than 40 books and over 125 articles dealing with various topics in research design, statistics, curriculum and instruction.  He co-authored How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education, currently in its 9th edition, which remains a leader in the field of research methodology.  In 1997, he received the James A. Michener prize for his writings about the social studies and the social sciences.  Dr. Fraenkel was nationally recognized for his work in values and moral education, receiving numerous awards.

Committed to improving education, Jack and Marge have made a gift to establish the Dr. Jack and Marjorie Fraenkel Chair in Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to contribute to research about quality teaching at various levels. They also established the Jack Runnels and Marjorie Hansen Fraenkel Endowed Chair Nursing at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to: SFSU Foundation-Jack Fraenkel Scholarship Fund, College of Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132