Celebration of Life ceremony planned for former Marietta professor, Dr. John Michel

by Gi Smith

Marietta, Ohio (06/22/2018) — Arrangements have been made for a Celebration of Life for Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Dr. John Michel, who passed away on May 15, 2018.

The ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m. June 30th in Andrews Hall Great Room. Dr. Michel's family will host a reception immediately following.

Dr. Michel joined the faculty in 1970, after previously working at the University of Denver and California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At Marietta, he was recognized for his excellence in teaching, earning the Edward G. Harness Fellowship twice as well as the Marietta College Service Award. He retired from full-time teaching in 2004 but remained active in the Learning in Retirement Program and other education-based initiatives at Marietta.

In a letter to Marietta President, Dr. William N. Ruud, Earl H. Maize, Project Manager at the Jet Propulsion Lab for the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan, expressed his condolences upon learning of Dr. Michel's death.

"He was our mentor and guru for decades," Maize wrote. "His many contributions to the art of interplanetary maneuver design some 30 years ago are still relevant today. John's algorithms in our computer software have been used on every interplanetary mission JPL has flown and are still being used to design the missions of tomorrow. I can only imagine that he must have had a similar impact with his academic career at Marietta."

The Michel family has established the John and Katharine Michel Fund for Mathematics, which will provide support for Marietta's Mathematics Department. This endowment provides funding to an array of needs such as student awards and scholarships, student field experience, professional workshops and conferences, travel expenses, study abroad experiences, internships, equipment, materials, and various programmatic needs, said Doug Evans, Associate Director of Major Gifts at Marietta College.

Individuals who wish to contribute to this fund may give online at www.marietta.edu/give and selecting "Other" and in the designation box writing the "John and Katharine Michel Fund for Mathematics." Checks can be mailed to the Marietta College Office of Advancement. Checks should be made out to "Marietta College" with "John and Katharine Michel Fund for Mathematics" written in the memo line or include a note directing the gift to the fund. These gifts may be sent to the following address:

Marietta College
Office of Advancement
215 Fifth Street
Marietta, Ohio 45750

Donors who have additional questions or who would like to give a gift of appreciated stock may contact Doug Evans in the Advancement Office at 740-376-4402 or email at doug.evans@marietta.edu.

Marietta College

Celebration of Life ceremony planned for former Marietta professor, Dr. John Michel

Marietta College

Share this Story

Recent News