Hans Christian Olsen

Hans Christian Olsen of Clear Lake City passed away Wednesday, December 14, 2011. He was born April 20, 1929, in Kearney, NE, to Florence Miller and Hans C. Olsen, Sr. He grew up in Charleston, IL, where his father was a long-time faculty member at Eastern Illlinois University.

Hans is survived by his loving companion, Diane Durbin of Clear Lake; four children, Hans of Astoria, OR; Julie (Jeff Johnson) of Albuquerque, NM; Nan Lochmann (Dick) of Flagstaff, AZ; and Karen Ganz (Earl) of Seattle, WA. He also leaves behind his sister Jacqueline Golightly (Chester) of Lubbock, TX; grandchildren Kate Hope (Brian) of San Tan, AZ; Nate Lochmann of Brooklyn, NY; and Kirsten Norgaard (Thor), Erika McKay (David), and Chris Olsen, all of Astoria, OR. He is also survived by five great grandchildren.

He earned his undergraduate degree at Eastern Illinois University. Following service in the army, he earned a Master's and Doctorate in Education at the University of Illinois. He served as a faculty member and/or administrator at Minnesota State University-Mankato, Purdue University, Wayne State University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Hans was a leader in establishing the School of Education at UMSL and was the founding Dean of Education at UHCL. He was also Past President, as well as Distinguished Member, of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), and helped found LFTE, the ATE Leadership Foundation for Teacher Education.

Hans was predeceased by his wife of 49 years, Mary Frances Hornbrook.

There will be a family memorial service in Albuquerque, NM, and his ashes will be buried at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. Memorials may be sent to: University of Houston-Clear Lake School of Education, Office of University Advancement, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 77058; or to the Association of Teacher Educators, PO Box 793, Manassas, VA 20113 (check payable to ATE Leadership Foundation).