Kenneth Karl Marcus

Kenneth Karl Marcus was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan on November 5, 1929. He grew up in abject poverty during the Great Depression on a farm in rural Michigan, where the winters were bleak and treacherous. Ken persevered and was an excellent student and thrived at Benton Harbor High School, where he was involved in: Band, Orchestra, Spanish Club, French Club, National Honor Society, Speech and Debate Club, Biology Club, and several other extracurricular clubs. Ken went to high school during World War II, and was concerned about his older brother Melvin, who was drafted and served in a U.S. Army hospital in Verdun, France for two years before coming home after V.E. Day.

Ken's hard work, industriousness and intellect paid off, and he was awarded a full academic scholarship to the University of Michigan in Political Science. Ken loved being a Wolverine and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. After earning his B.A., Ken took a job as a civilian with the U.S. Navy as a contract negotiator for Sidewinder missiles. He enjoyed his five years in Washington D.C. working for the Navy and driving around in his soft-top convertible Thunderbird.

Ken decided to return to academia and was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Illinois, where he earned a Masters' and PhD in Economics. He decided to forge a career being a professor in Political Science and Criminal Justice. In his early years in academia, he was a professor at Southern Illinois University and Illinois State University, where he met his wife of nearly 60 years, Marcelle Freed. In September 1967, Ken and Marcelle packed up the family Buick with children Nina and Richard and moved out to sunny California, where Ken took a job at a new university – Sonoma State University.

Ken taught Criminal Justice at SSU for 30 years before retiring in 1997. He was head of the SSU Academic Senate for over a decade and was also the lead negotiator for the professor's union for many years. He leaves a professional legacy of teaching courses in "Rights of the Accused" and Constitutional Law" to thousands of university students, many of whom went on to work as police officers, prison guards, probation officers, judges, and criminal justice attorneys.

Ken loved to travel and took sabbaticals from his professorship to live in Washington D.C. and listen to the entire collection of the "Nixon Tapes" at the U.S. Library of Congress; live in Dublin to study the Irish justice system; and live in Exeter, England to study the British Parliamentary justice system. Ken and Marcelle took over 25 cruises together that included trips to and through the Panama Canal, Alaska Inside Passage, St. Peterburg, Russia, Western/Eastern Europe, and Cartagena, Columbia.

In addition to travelling, throughout his life Ken enjoyed reading newspapers and magazines, listening to classical music, camping, hiking, attending and watching sports events, studying naval ships, and riding trains. He took Amtrak around the United States with Richard visiting cities and baseball stadiums across the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and East Coast in the summers of 1983, 1984, and 1985.

Ken enjoyed his 29-year retirement and was a dedicated and loving husband to Marcelle for six decades. He was proud to be a member of the "Silent Generation" and was "old school" in the way he lived his life. Ken came a long way from his humble impoverished agrarian roots and was a highly respected academic who provided an abundant middle-class suburban upbringing for his children, who he loved dearly. Above all, he was a great father.

Ken passed away peacefully and comfortably at 5:10 p.m. on February 17, 2026, in Santa Rosa at the age of 96. He is survived by son Richard, daughter Nina, and grand-daughters Quinn and Jessica. Ken will be forever loved and cherished by his family, friends, and colleagues.

"May Kenneth Karl Marcus Rest-In-Peace for all eternity."