Robert T. Novak

Maybrook, NY

Robert T. Novak, president emeritus of Orange County Community College, died Friday, December 14, 2007 at St. Mary's Medical Center, Langhorne, PA. He was 84 years old.

Dr. Novak was president of OCCC from 1965-1982 and spearheaded a major expansion project that added a new library, physical education building, student center and bio-technical building and five new allied health curricula at the Middletown Campus in 1973 and 1974. The college's enrollment increased 45% during the expansion.

He was born August 21, 1923 in Lacrosse, WI, the son of Valentine and Mary Shuda Novak, and was an Army infantryman in Europe from 1943-1946. After the war, he earned his Bachelor's Degree at Wisconsin State College at La Crosse; Master's Degree at Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota and his Doctorate at Columbia University.

Dr. Novak's academic specialty was geography and was co-author of a widely-used textbook, Essentials of College Geography. He also authored numerous articles in professional and academic journals.

Before coming to OCCC, Dr. Novak was on the faculty at Wisconsin State and Frostburg (MD) State Teachers College, and he was the founding president of Prince George's Community College in Suitland, MD, where the campus field house was named in his honor in 1970.

He was named to numerous national higher education commissions and committees, and was an editorial advisor to College Management Magazine. He served on then-Congressman Ben Gilman's advisory committee on education and the board of advisors for the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution. He was listed in the fourth edition of Who's Who in America.

Survivors include three daughters, Ann Ryan of Stallings, NC, Theresa Rapp and her husband Bob of Rock Hill, SC and Joan Gormley and her husband Christopher of Mattthews, NC; three sons, Robert Jr. and his wife Karen of Dallas, TX, Charles of Langhorne, PA and Andrew and his wife, Monique of Moseley, VA; 13 grandchildren; a brother, Thomas of DeFuniak Springs, FL; a sister, Agnes Koebl of La Crosse, WI. His former wife, Amy, lives in Charlotte, NC.

Dr. Novak had recently moved to Langhorne, PA after many years as a resident of Maybrook.

He will be cremated and a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 19 at the Assumption RC Church, Homestead Ave., Maybrook.

Arrangements have been conducted by the Fluehr Funeral Home, Richboro, PA.