Larry Edward Syndergaard

Syndergaard, Dr. Larry Edward Larry died peacefully on April 15, 2015 at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, from congestive heart failure following a heart attack in January. He was born in 1936 in Des Moines, Iowa, the middle child of Edward B. and M. Esther Cation Syndergaard and spent early life on farms in Iowa and Minnesota, where his parents were county Extension agents. In 1950, just as Larry started high school, the family moved to northwestern Wisconsin, where they bought 160 acres near Hillsdale (Barron Co.) and a herd of handsome Jersey cows and christened their farm Pincherry Hill. Newly arrived Larry met a smart, pretty neighbor at a 4-H meeting and took Ardis Jean Carr to prom that year (she was a junior!) to begin a romance that would last six decades. A formidable student at Barron High, Larry made time for farm chores before and after school, band (oboe!), debate, track, 4-H, MYF and, improbably at 6'2", 155lbs., football, at which he was "better than expected." The Syndergaards enjoyed annual fishing trips to Bass Lake, Minn., a tradition Larry would continue with his own family. After graduation, he headed to Iowa State College (University). Like his father and brother, Larry was active in Farmhouse Fraternity, and he worked part-time in the ISC Forestry Pathology Lab throughout his years in Ames. Summers took him to forestry camp in Oregon, then to northern Wisconsin, where he skidded logs with his dad's horses, then back to Iowa for field research with the US Forest Service at Amana. Larry and Ardis were married in Barron in August 1958, then lived in Nevada, Iowa, where Ardis taught home economics while Larry finished BS degrees in Forestry and General Science (1959). Then came a year at the Royal College in Copenhagen, with excursions to research European forests and Syndergaard family roots. Upon returning, the newlyweds spent a year working for Larry's parents, taking care of new baby Jennifer Jean (1961), and figuring out what to do next. They had decided that working for the Forest Service would move the family too often. So, already an enthusiastic student of literature (along with all that science), Larry took a leap of faith and moved his family to Madison to pursue a master's in English at the University of Wisconsin. Seven years later, he emerged with a PhD, a minor in Scandinavian Studies, an affinity for the medieval era and a new son, Christian Edward (1963). With a job lined up at WMU, the family set off for Kalamazoo in 1968, in a U-Haul packed tight with treasures from St. Vincent DePaul and a pile of butternut lumber from the farm in Hillsdale (which, his friends will be unsurprised to learn, is still stacked carefully in his garage). In 32 years in the English Department, Larry taught writing and lit at all levels, specializing in medieval topics and bootlegging in folk and oral-traditional material when he could. He also taught occasionally in Environmental Studies and actively supported English Ed (preparing teachers). From the beginning, Larry was heavily involved in WMU's Medieval Institute and its renowned International Congress. A Fellow of the International Ballad Commission, his research into folklore and the Scandinavian ballads was respected worldwide and resulted in dozens of papers and articles-and an important book, English Translations of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballads (1995). Thanks to a stint as asst. dean at U-W, Larry was drawn into advising and policy roles early on at WMU, becoming associate chair for undergrad English programs as a tender but committed junior professor. At the time, the department had 13 pink slips; Larry established rationale that saved 12 of those jobs-certainly the administrative accomplishment of which he was most proud. Later, he was elected to governance, tenure, and other key committees as often as rules allowed. He worked tirelessly for thoughtful policies and programs, protesting any effort to cut corners on the academic experience. He believed in nurturing students' awareness and worldview, and his work on WMU General Education committees established a multi-cultural requirement for all undergrads. A believer in shared governance, Larry was active in AAUP and later WARF, to ensure faculty voices were heard. With "genteel pugnacity," he was a steady champion of transparency and fairness. In retirement (2000), Larry had more time to enjoy estate sales, woodworking, jazz concerts and projects demanded by his cherished 1913 home. He was photographer and historian for his extended family and Ardis'-ever mindful of preserving their stories. He corresponded with friends locally and across the globe, and he traveled with Ardis, and later, alone, to Europe, Ukraine, So. Africa and Turkey. Larry never owned a TV, preferring to read voraciously on a thousand practical topics as the consummate DIYer. Integral to life on West Main Hill, he was beloved by his neighbors. Larry was a fixture of the "Scandies" and many other local groups and a longtime volunteer at the Festival of Michigan Folklife. He was an eager patron of the arts, often attending several concerts a week, including those of his granddaughters-their constant fan. He provided patient, loving care through the health challenges that claimed wife Ardis in 2008 and son Christian in 2014. Larry is survived by daughter Jennifer and her husband Robert "Bo" Snyder, beloved granddaughters Elizabeth "Ellie" and Margaret "Maisie" Snyder, brother John (Nancy) Syndergaard, sister Mary (Clarence) Bisek, Ardis' sister-in-law, Darlene Carr and brother Gerald (Sandra) Carr, cousins, nieces, nephews and hundreds of friends. A true gentleman of great intellect, curiosity, kindness, humor and integrity, Larry is deeply missed. To use the language of the medieval world he knew so well: May he rest in peace and may perpetual light shine on him. A memorial service on Sunday, May 31, 2015, 1:30pm at WMU's Fetzer Center will celebrate his life richly lived. Memorial donations may be directed to WMU School of Music (Jazz Studies), Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, Kal County Democratic Party or Tillers International.