John Robert Foxen

John Robert Foxen, Ph.D., age 93, of Williamsport, Md., passed away on Nov. 14, 2019 at Homewood Retirement Center in Williamsport.

He was born on April 18, 1926 in Cherokee, Iowa, to the late John Henry and Florence Ellen Popma Foxen.

He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Barbara Postin Foxen in 1994.

He attended High School in Sioux City, Iowa, and after graduating in 1944 at age 18, he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served on the USS Dyson, a destroyer, as a Sonar Man 3 and saw battle in the Pacific Theater, 7th Fleet. The USS Dyson was a target of Japanese submarines and kamikaze planes. The ship also survived a typhoon in 1944, where six other ships in the fleet capsized.

In 1946, after an Honorable Discharge from the Navy, he returned to Iowa and enrolled at Morningside College in Sioux City, where under the GI Bill he received his B.A. in 1950, and a M.A. in Speech and Rhetoric in 1951. He received his Ph.D. in 1957 from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.

At the beginning of his career, from 1951 to 1955, he worked as an instructor at the Universities of New Hampshire in Durham and Connecticut in Manchester, and the State University of Iowa in Iowa City. In these positions he also served as debate coach, director of forensics and technical director of theater.

From 1955 to 1957, he was an assistant professor of speech and forensics at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

From 1957 to 1970, he was employed as an assistant professor at DePauw University in Greencastle, advancing to associate professor of speech and then tenured full professor of speech.

While at DePauw University, Dr. Foxen was awarded a Fellowship from the Committee on Institutional Cooperation to study Japanese language, and he was also a recipient of a Ford Foundation grant for 1964-1965 post-doctoral study of Japanese language, culture and history at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Then in 1965, Dr. Foxen received a research grant from the Great Lakes College Association to travel with his family to the far-east for a year-long sabbatical at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. While at Waseda, he served as associate director of the International Division as well as sponsor for a study abroad program for 25 undergraduate students from DePauw and other midwestern colleges. While living in Tokyo, Dr. Foxen also studied Japanese Theater (Kabuki, Noh, and Bunraku).

From 1970 to 1974 he was chairman and tenured professor of the Speech and Theater Arts Department at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Ill.

In 1974 he took a position as associate provost for faculty and dean of continuing education at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

In 1977 Dr. Foxen was appointed dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. At that time, the college was the largest of their four undergraduate branches. At Alfred (and throughout his career) Dr. Foxen was considered a strong supporter of a liberal arts education. Among other accomplishments at Alfred, he designed and instituted an advising program to assist professors to develop closer academic relationships to help guide their students. After 10 years as dean, he retired in 1987.

After retiring, he and his wife Mary moved to Shepherdstown, W.Va. They were active members of the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church. He also did some part-time teaching at Shepherd University. He was also an active member of other civic organizations including the Men’s Club, where he served as past president.

He served as a volunteer docent at the Shepherdstown Visitor’s Center and as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. He also volunteered as a story reader for a local child daycare center. He was a loyal supporter of the Shepherdstown Public Library.

In 2012 he moved to Homewood at Williamsport, a continuing care retirement community near Hagerstown, Md. There he was active in the choir, was the lead singer in a musical group called “Them Guys,” and he co-founded a poetry group.

He is survived by his daughter Rebecca L. Jones and her husband William of Stevensville, Md.; his son Matthew Postin Foxen of Morgantown, W.Va.; as well as his companion Joan Keith of Shepherdstown.

He was predeceased by his brother Floyd H. Foxen, age 94, of Pollack Pines, Calif.

Memorial services were held at Homewood Retirement Center and Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church. Burial was private.