Joseph C. Hogan, dean emeritus of the University of Notre Dame’s College of Engineering, died Thursday (Aug. 18) at Friendship Village in Tempe, Arizona. He was 94.
A native of St. Louis, Hogan was graduated from Washington University in 1943 with a degree in electrical engineering. Following his graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and saw action in the Philippines during the closing days of World War II before continuing engineering studies at the University of Missouri and the University of Wisconsin, from which he earned his doctoral degree.
He returned to the University of Missouri to became the youngest dean of its engineering college for many years before he joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1967, becoming the seventh dean of the University’s College of Engineering and remaining in that position until 1981.
When he resigned as dean of engineering, Hogan became the first Notre Dame faculty member to achieve emeritus status at pre-retirement age. He was praised at the time by Notre Dame’s then-provost, Timothy O’Meara, as “a tough and dynamic leader who has accomplished all he set out to do.”
Hogan had set out to do a great deal indeed, including a significant enhancement of the endowment, academic prestige and physical facilities of Notre Dame’s engineering college, and during his tenure its national and international reputation was by his accomplishments, which included the 1979 dedication of the Fitzpatrick Hall of Engineering, now widely acknowledged as a milestone in the history of engineering at Notre Dame.
Both at Notre Dame and during his retirement years, Hogan was a frequent speaker before national and state legislative bodies advocating for the development of engineering education and its increasing inclusion of women and minorities.
Donations in Hogan’s memory may be made to Logan Center in South Bend or Maggie’s Place in Phoenix, Arizona.