{"id":12559,"date":"2011-02-14T12:16:37","date_gmt":"2011-02-14T19:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stage.headlessnauedu-b6hgdzckfdgxgzhe.westus-01.azurewebsites.net\/?p=12559"},"modified":"2013-02-21T15:46:19","modified_gmt":"2013-02-21T22:46:19","slug":"quintessential-lumberjack-joseph-rolle-dies-at-93","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/quintessential-lumberjack-joseph-rolle-dies-at-93\/","title":{"rendered":"Quintessential Lumberjack Joseph Rolle dies at 93"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: Tributes to Dean Rolle have been steadily streaming in as students, alumni, friends, colleagues and other members of the Lumberjack family reflect on the life of the NAU legend. Read some of these reflections\u00a0online<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the 1941 student body president and a member of Chain Gang,\u00a0Joseph Rolle<\/strong>\u00a0didn’t\u00a0see his time on Northern Arizona University\u2019s mountain campus as limited to a four-year experience. He saw it as his real home.<\/p>\n

The dedicated Lumberjack would continue in that role long after he earned his bachelor\u2019s degree. He became a mentor, leader and supporter, and was recognizable on campus and beyond as a caring and enthusiastic face of Northern Arizona University for more than 60 years.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview, Rolle, the former dean of University Services, spoke of his decades-long experience with NAU. \u201cI have enjoyed every moment that I\u2019ve been here, and that\u2019s a long, long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Today, the university community is mourning the loss of Joseph Rolle, who died Sunday. He was 93.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Rolle has been a mainstay at this institution since the 1940s,\u201d said NAU President\u00a0John Haeger<\/strong>. \u201cFew people have had the impact on Northern Arizona University as Joe and\u00a0Marie Rolle<\/strong>. Joe remained active on campus throughout his life, and while he is no longer with us, his legacy will last as long as there is a Northern Arizona University.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean Rolle earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in 1941 from NAU\u2014then called Arizona State College\u2014before serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II where he was stationed in the South Pacific. After military service, Dean Rolle returned to the university to work, completing his master\u2019s degree in 1950. He held several roles during his 35 years of employment and retired in 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Services<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at the Church of the Nativity, 16 W. Cherry Ave., Flagstaff. Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 18, at the Church of the Nativity, with a reception to follow at 1:30 p.m. at the NAU Rolle Activity Center on Flagstaff\u2019s south campus. Campus signage will direct guests to parking for the reception. View a campus map\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to the\u00a0Joseph C.
\nand Marie M. Rolle Award for Excellence scholarship<\/a>\u00a0through the NAU Foundation or to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dean Rolle\u2019s work on behalf of the university didn\u2019t end with retirement. He volunteered as a leader for the Alumni Association and worked to deepen the connection that students, employees, community leaders and alums felt for NAU.<\/p>\n

President Emeritus\u00a0Eugene Hughes<\/strong>, who conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters on Dean Rolle in 1980, said the dean was recognized as \u201cMr. Lumberjack,\u201d along with administrator and alumnus\u00a0Lewis McDonald<\/strong>, for his many contributions over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe was the quintessential dean of students,\u201d Hughes said.\u201d Both by the example of his own life and through his actions as dean and, like a dad, \u2018saving\u2019 many students rather than to see them dismissed from the university. Joe truly exhibited the power that one individual can have on the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean Rolle is survived by his wife, Marie, a graduate of the University of Arizona, who also retired from NAU as director of the Career Planning and Placement Center after more than 15 years of service.<\/p>\n

The Rolles\u2019 efforts on behalf of the university over the years have left an indelible mark on those around them. The couple established the\u00a0Joseph and Marie Rolle Award for Excellence scholarship<\/a>, awarded since 1989 to students who demonstrate high achievement.<\/p>\n

The Rolles were regular attendees of ceremonies, alumni and donor recognition events and often represented the university in the community.<\/p>\n

In recognition of their tireless work on behalf of NAU, the Rolles received the\u00a0Arizona Board of Regents Award<\/a>\u00a0for Outstanding Service to Higher Education in 2009.\u00a0
\n<\/strong>
\nErnest Calder\u00f3n<\/strong>, ABOR president emeritus and NAU alumnus, bestowed the honor upon the Rolles at the ceremony and had known Dean Rolle for many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all so fortunate to have him with us this long,\u201d Calder\u00f3n said. \u201cTo many he was a caring uncle or father figure who gave us comfort\u2026and sometimes redirection\u2026when we lived so far away from home. He never forgot his Bisbee roots, his mother\u2019s love or his work ethic that Mother Hanley instilled as she refined his busing skills. Our hearts go out to Marie and the family but Dean Rolle\u2019s legacy will live on for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean Rolle was a two-time student body president who earned the prestigious Gold Axe Award and President\u2019s Award upon graduating in 1941. He also excelled at basketball over his four years at NAU, which led to the university naming the men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams\u2019 most valuable player awards in his honor in 1950 and his inclusion in the inaugural NAU Athletic Hall of Fame induction in 1981.<\/p>\n

The south activity center, which houses physical education classrooms and a recreation facility, was renamed the Joseph C. Rolle Activity Center in 1989. NAU\u2019s basketball teams currently use the facility for games.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Rolle was one of the most distinguished gentlemen I have ever met in my lifetime,\u201d said\u00a0Mike Adras<\/strong>, NAU men\u2019s basketball coach. \u201cWhenever I speak of alums, the conversation never goes far without mentioning Dean Rolle. The impact he had on this university is tremendous.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Rolles were named homecoming dedicatees in 1956, Dean Rolle\u2019s longtime friend and fellow NAU alum,\u00a0Sam Borozan<\/strong>, drove their car in the homecoming parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I remember most about Joe was that he taught us the value of discipline,\u201d said Borozan, retired faculty and staff member and NAU supporter. \u201cHe was like a beacon that came into our lives and we are better with his guidance. I love the man, he changed our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Alumni Association created the Joe and Marie Rolle Spirit of NAU award to recognize a graduate who radiates the spirit of and devotion to the university as inspired by the Rolles.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorthern Arizona University has lost one of its greatest assets,\u201d said\u00a0Kimberly Ott<\/strong>, NAU Alumni Association board president. \u201cJoe played a significant part in the history of NAU and our Alumni Association. He and Marie helped create and maintain that special feeling of family that NAU is to so many of us. We will miss Joe\u2019s leadership, compassion and love of NAU, and especially that smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he would say, \u2018It\u2019s great to be a Lumberjack.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph Rolle was born Sept. 5, 1917 in Bisbee, Ariz., and attended Central Grade School and Bisbee High School. He is survived by his wife Marie; son Charles (Julie) Rolle; daughters Jo Anne (Steve) Rolle Harper and Randi (Doug Ulmah) Rolle. He was preceded in death by his son, Lawrence \u201cMurph\u201d Rolle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: Tributes to Dean Rolle have been steadily streaming in as students, alumni, friends, colleagues and other members of the Lumberjack family reflect on the life of the NAU legend. Read some of these reflections\u00a0online. As the 1941 student body president and a member of Chain Gang,\u00a0Joseph Rolle\u00a0didn’t\u00a0see his time on Northern Arizona University\u2019s…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":12581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}