George Vuicich

George Vuicich, 89, husband of the late Ellamae Constance (Anderson) Vuicich, and Professor Emeritus of Geography at Western Michigan University, on November 2, 2015. He was a resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan for 47 years. Born on November 12, 1925 in Chisholm, Minnesota to Serbian immigrant parents, Theodore Vuicich and Zora (Hydukovich) Vuicich, he attended Chisholm schools until enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1944. After his military service, he returned to Chisholm and married Ellamae Anderson on June 28, 1947. They moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where George became a student at the University of Iowa, earning his Ph.D. in Geography in 1960. Upon graduation, he became an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. In 1964 he accepted a position at the High School Geography Project in Boulder, Colorado. He remained there for three years, developing an innovative geography curriculum for elementary schools. He joined Western Michigan University in 1967 as a full professor and taught there until his retirement in 1993. While at Western Michigan, he received numerous grants for summer teaching institutes and worked with high school teachers from around the country. Professor Vuicich mentored and advised many graduate students and co-authored a geography textbook. Upon retirement he continued to teach online courses. He also served on the Board of Zoning for Oshtemo Township. George was an avid hunter, fisherman, gardener, and outdoorsman. He brought his boundless energy, love of teaching and learning, and a genuine caring to everything he did and everyone he met. He and his beloved Ellamae were devoted parents and grandparents. He is preceded in death by his son, Michael, and his wife, Ellamae. He is survived by two daughters, Lynne (Vuicich) Godek of Alexandria, Virginia and Meg (Vuicich) Blinkiewicz of Kalamazoo, Michigan; and six grandchildren, Benjamin Godek, Anna Godek, Paige Blinkiewicz, Mitchell Blinkiewicz, Hailey Blinkiewicz and Andrew Blinkiewicz; a sister, Georgia (Vuicich) Russell, and several nephews and a niece. A public memorial will be held at 11:00 am on December 19, 2015, at Kanley Chapel on the campus of Western Michigan University. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the family for the establishment of the George Vuicich Geographic Education Scholarship Fund.