[FRIAM] more praise for FRIAM

Tue Jan 7 10:16:51 EST 2020

I was sorry to read this. I found Paul Ropp to be very interesting, with 
a viewpoint a bit different from the other Friammers. He will be missed.

—Barry

On 7 Jan 2020, at 1:22, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:

> Frammers,
>
>
>
> I just got a note from Marjorie Ropp, wife of the  China scholar, Paul 
> Ropp,
> who used to visited with us from time to time.  She says, in part,
>
>
>
> When you see the Fri-AM group at St. Johns, please let them know how 
> much
> Paul enjoyed those weekly gatherings.   And thanks to you all for 
> inviting
> him to join you.   I think the Fri-AM meeting was Paul's favorite 
> activity
> here in Santa Fe.
>
>
>
> We really do have a good thing going here.
>
>
>
> Nick
>
> Nicholas Thompson
>
> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology
>
> Clark University
>
>  <mailto:ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
>
>  <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/>
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Nick Thompson <nickthompson at earthlink.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 10:27 AM
> To: Friam (Friam at redfish.com) <Friam at redfish.com>
> Subject: My colleague Paul Ropp
>
>
>
> Dear Friammers,
>
>
>
> Some of you may remember Paul, who used to join us for a month at a 
> time,
> beginning four or five years back.  He was a china scholar colleague 
> of mine
> at Clark, and eagerly looked forward to coming to FRIAM when he was 
> out
> here.  I will miss those visits.
>
>
>
> See below,
>
>
>
> Nick
>
>
>
> Nicholas S. Thompson
>
> Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology
>
> Clark University
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
>
>
>
> From: faculty-localemeriti-request at lists.clarku.edu
> <mailto:faculty-localemeriti-request at lists.clarku.edu>
> [mailto:faculty-localemeriti-request at lists.clarku.edu] On Behalf Of 
> Amy Lee
> Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 6:40 AM
> To: 'facultyparttime at lists.clarku.edu' 
> <facultyparttime at lists.clarku.edu
> <mailto:facultyparttime at lists.clarku.edu> >; dl_faculty-announcements
> <faculty-announcements at lists.clarku.edu
> <mailto:faculty-announcements at lists.clarku.edu> >;
> faculty-localemeriti at lists.clarku.edu
> <mailto:faculty-localemeriti at lists.clarku.edu> ; dl_admin
> <dl_admin at lists.clarku.edu <mailto:dl_admin at lists.clarku.edu> >;
> dl_physplant <dl_facilities at lists.clarku.edu
> <mailto:dl_facilities at lists.clarku.edu> >; dl_police
> <dl_police at lists.clarku.edu <mailto:dl_police at lists.clarku.edu> >; 
> dl_staff
> <dl_staff at lists.clarku.edu <mailto:dl_staff at lists.clarku.edu> >
> Subject: Paul Ropp Obituary
>
>
>
>
>
> Paul S. Ropp, PhD, died on April 14, 2019 of metastatic melanoma at 
> his home
> in Worcester at age 75.  He was a Professor of History at Clark 
> University
> for 26 years before he retired in 2010, a founding board member of the
> Center for Nonviolent Solutions and an active member of the First 
> Unitarian
> Church.
>
>
>
> Paul was born March 25, 1944 on a farm in Normal, IL to Peter and Ann
> (Kropf) Ropp where he was surrounded by an adoring grandmother, doting 
> aunts
> and a large extended family. His formative years were influenced by 
> the
> Mennonite Church, 4-H Clubs and the hard work of dairy farming.  He
> graduated from Normal Community High School in 1962.
>
>
>
> Paul leaves his wife of 53 years, Marjorie (Liechty) Ropp; two sons, 
> Andrew
> and his wife Rachel of Santa Fe, NM, Benjamin and his wife Jordan 
> Dooms of
> Wichita, KS; a daughter Amy and her husband Todd Bezrutczyk; and three
> grandchildren, Christopher (CJ) Bezrutczyk, Simone Ropp and Silas 
> Ropp.  He
> is survived by two brothers Ronald Ropp (Martha Jo) of Normal, IL and 
> Allen
> Ropp (Shirley) of Belmond, IA.
>
>
>
> In his pursuit of life beyond the farm, Paul earned his BA from 
> Bluffton
> College (a Mennonite college in Bluffton, OH) and his MA and PhD 
> (1974) in
> East Asian and Chinese History from the University of Michigan.  His
> graduate study included Japanese and Chinese languages and he was 
> still
> fluent in Chinese until the end.  He taught for one year each at State
> College of Arkansas (Conway, AR) and McGill University (Montreal), 10 
> years
> at University of Memphis and 25 plus years at Clark University 
> (Worcester).
> In his retirement he found a way to use his expertise in East Asian 
> History
> and culture by giving destination lectures on cruise ships throughout 
> SE
> Asia, Taiwan, China and Japan.
>
>
>
> Paul was the author of three books; China in World History (2010);  
> Banished
> Immortal: Searching for Shuangqing, China's Peasant Woman Poet (2001); 
> and
> Dissent in Early Modern China: "Ju-lin wai-shih" and Ch'ing Social 
> Criticism
> (1981); editor of Heritage of China: Contemporary Perspectives on 
> Chinese
> Civilization (1990); and author of numerous articles.
>
>
>
> For over 25 years, Paul was active in the First Unitarian Church of
> Worcester, as a choir member, as Chair of the music committee, as a 
> member
> of the Social Action committee, as former Assessor and  former 
> Moderator.
> One of Paul's passions was working for peace and nonviolence in 
> Worcester
> and beyond. He was Chair of the Board of the Center for Nonviolent
> Solutions, educating young people in nonviolent responses to conflict. 
>  He
> sang with the Unitonians, a barbershop quartet, formed with friends 
> from
> First U around Paul's long-time love for barbershop music.
>
>
>
> Paul was an avid reader and follower of current events who appreciated 
> the
> many ironies of modern life.   His humor and wit enlivened his 
> conversations
> with family and friends.  Since retirement Paul wrote frequent opinion
> pieces for the "As I See It" column in the Worcester Telegram and 
> Gazette,
> giving voice to his outrage against misguided politics and foreign 
> policy,
> and his conviction that knowledge of the past must inform present 
> actions.
>
>
>
> In his retirement, Paul turned his attention back to his roots on the
> Illinois prairie.   He transcribed his mother's diary as a farm wife 
> and
> nurse that she kept for over 70 years.  He transcribed over 2000 pages 
> of
> the writings of his grandfather, Edwin Oliver Ropp, and recently 
> finished a
> lengthy manuscript Prairie Poet, Rural Radical (yet unpublished) of 
> this
> poet-pacifist-socialist-vegetarian-philosopher farmer who died before 
> Paul
> was born.
>
>
>
> In 2009 Paul facilitated his daughter Amy's re-connecting with her 
> birth
> family, the Wu Family, in Hualien, Taiwan.  This wonderful reunion and
> subsequent frequent visits with our Taiwan Family, with Paul 
> interpreting,
> enriched all of our lives.
>
>
>
> He donated his body to the Anatomical Gifts Program at the University 
> of
> Massachusetts Medical School.  After cremation, his ashes will be 
> buried in
> the Ropp Cemetery in Normal, IL, two miles from his childhood home,
> alongside those of his Ropp ancesters.
>
>
>
> A memorial service will be held at the First Unitarian Church of 
> Worcester,
> 90 Main Street, on Saturday, April 27 at 3:00 PM, followed by a 
> reception at
> the Church.   In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the 
> First
> Unitarian Church, 90 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608 or the Center 
> for
> Nonviolent Solutions, 901 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01602.
>
>
>
> Paul's family wishes to thank the VNA Care Hospice Team for the
> compassionate care they provided during Paul's final days.
>
>
>
> Arrangements are being directed by Alfred Roy & Sons Funeral Home, 12
> Hammond Street, Worcester, MA 01610.  Condolence messages can be 
> submitted
> to the guestbook at www.royfuneral.com
> <https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.royfun
> eral.com&data=02%7C01%7Cnthompson%40clarku.edu%7C8ade015a755c44ef3a7508d6c26
> 8b97e%7Cb5b2263d68aa453eb972aa1421410f80%7C1%7C1%7C636910152401313801&sdata=
> jDtUH2cLjXQ2wEszn9CqmN3rZXzjboZ6VxEOzBzPZzM%3D&reserved=0>  or at
> CaringBridge.org website.

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