Brockman Schumacher Sr.

CARBONDALE - Dr. Brockman Schumacher Sr., 85, passed away at 7:26 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, in Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis of congestive heart failure.

Dr. Schumacher was born Aug. 26, 1924, in St. Louis, the son of Fred and Marguerite (Brockman) Schumacher.

He was a World War II Army veteran, a medic with the rank of Sergeant in the Philippines.

He graduated from University of Iowa with a B.S. in Psychology.

There he met Doris Goodman, whom he married July 20, 1948, in New York City.

He earned his M.A. Ed. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he raised his family.

Dr. Schumacher was a pioneer of vocational rehabilitation and started the Vocational Rehabilitation Department at St. Louis State Mental Hospital, the first such program in Missouri. In St. Louis, he opened the first halfway house in the United States. He later worked at Human Development Corps in the city and taught psychology at Webster College (now Webster University).

Dr. Schumacher became a professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 1968 until his retirement in 1993, and Professor Emeritus until his death. He served as Director of the Counselor Training Program in the Rehabilitation Institute at Southern Illinois University and became full professor in 1973. From 1983 to 1984, he served as Acting Director of the Rehabilitation Institute at the request of his peers after the tragic airline death of the chairman, Dr. Jerome Lorenz. After a new chairman was found, he resumed his position as Director of Counseling until 1993. Dr. Schumacher advised more than 70 Masters and 20 Doctoral students during his tenure at SIUC. He also provided vocational expert consulting to Federal Social Security Courts for more than 20 years and was president of the Council on Rehabilitation Education.

In 2007, Brockman and Doris moved to Minneapolis to be closer to their sons and grandchildren. They celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary this year.

In addition to his wife, Brockman is survived by his three sons, Brockman Schumacher Jr. and wife, Nancy Zalusky-Berg, of Minneapolis, Andrew Schumacher and wife, Nancy, of San Anselmo, Calif. and Douglass Schumacher and wife, Ruth Linehan, of Upper Arlington, Ohio; and grandsons, Brockman Schumacher III, Noah Schumacher, Jackson Schumacher and Zachary Paul.

He was preceded in death by his parents; infant brother; and Aunt, Dorothea Brockman, who raised him after his mother, Marguerite, died.

Brockman affected many lives through his professional work. His family shares their joy in having known such a loving husband, father and grandfather, and shares their sorrow - because our time spent together is never long enough.

A private memorial is planned in Minneapolis.