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Professor Emeritus of Sociology Frank Houser, who taught at Whitworth from 1959-1987, died in January after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease. He was 86. He received his B.A. from Houghton College (N.Y.) in 1943, served as a U.S. Navy officer in the Pacific during WWII, and went on to Columbia University, where he earned an M.A. in sociology in 1948 and a Ph.D. in 1974. Houser, who came to Whitworth from Wheaton College in 1959, served as department chair and taught many sociology courses at the college; according to his colleague Bob Clark, the most popular of Houser's classes may have been Love Is Not Enough, a Jan Term course on relationships that he taught with his wife, Helen, for many years.
"What a multi-dimensional man he was," says Clark. "Well into his seventies Frank played the cello, often accompanied by Helen on the piano in beautiful duets. And he was a remarkable tenor in the faculty quartet and the Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church Choir." Houser was also an avid tennis player (often hitting the courts with his longtime friend and colleague Howard Redmond, now professor emeritus of religion), a dedicated basketball player, and a tireless booster of Whitworth Athletics – especially basketball. Even during the later stages of his illness, he was usually to be found in the fieldhouse stands on game nights, supporting the Bucs, with his wife by his side.
Houser prized his seasons of teaching and studying in China, and for many years the Housers hosted and supported a variety of students and religious leaders from that country.
Houser is survived by his wife of 60 years, Helen, '82, their children, David, '74, Douglas,'77, James, and Jacqueline (Faoro), eight grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Memorial gifts may be made to Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church, to strengthen its connection with the Presbyterian churches in China, or to Whitworth College Athletics, toward a new sound system for the fieldhouse.
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