In Memoriam
A life that touches others goes on forever
We are grateful for the time we had with the beloved professors who passed during Spring 2023 - Spring 2024.
They will live on through the many memories they shared with their family, friends, students and colleagues. If you have a memory you'd like to share on this page, please let us know via our alumni updates page.
Robert “Bob” Leslie Ross
(political science), 95, died on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at MercyOne Cedar Falls. He was born on May 29, 1928, the son of Leslie O. and Margaret C. (Mitchell) Ross, and grew up in the wonderful town of Sidney, Iowa. He received his B.A. from Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls and served in the Army during the Korean War. Following military service, he taught social studies at high schools in Humeston, Algona and Davenport. He then earned his M.A. from Columbia University in New York and his Ph.D. at Michigan State.
On August 31, 1957, Prof. Ross was united in marriage to Mary Ellen Sawyer in Hawarden. He was a professor of political science at the University of Northern Iowa from 1962 until his retirement and was head of the Department of Political Science for many years. Locally, he was an active supporter of the Democratic party, serving terms on Black Hawk Co. Democratic Central Committee and Iowa Democratic State Central Committee.
Prof. Ross co-founded the Waterloo Sharks swimming program and enthusiastically supported the swimming achievements of his children. He was a lifelong member of Presbyterian and Methodist churches. He served for a time on the City of Waterloo Human Rights Commission and in 2004 received the Human Rights Commissioner Award. He co-founded the Sidney, Iowa Music Endowment Committee of Sidney Alumni and Friends, Inc. He had lifelong interests in politics, music, history, religion and sports.
David Whitsett
(psychology) died after 82 years of a meaningful, high-quality life. Prof. Whitsett’s adventurous life began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he and his sister, Toni, were raised by parents John David Whitsett and Dorthea (Upton) Whitsett.
After high school, he pursued his interest in human behavior through psychology at Penn State University, later earning his Ph.D. in organizational psychology from Case Western Reserve. His career led him to consulting firms in New York, where he was a specialist in managing large-scale change.
Prof. Whitsett later moved to Cedar Falls, joining the psychology faculty at UNI. He excelled at sparking students’ excitement about psychology using his natural storytelling and presentation skills. He was deeply involved in UNI athletics, especially wrestling. He took pride in helping coaches and athletes “create their own realities” in pursuit of their highest-level performance. Prof. Whitsett was an avid marathon runner; he guided a group running rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon and co-created a marathon running course at UNI.
Prof. Whitsett remained connected to the Cedar Falls community, publishing a history book about the city in 2013. After surviving cancer and retiring from academia, he later moved from Iowa to Texas to be closer to his daughters.
Prof. Whitsett cherished solitude, independence and intellectual stimulation. As an atheist and freethinker, he devoured books about science and evolution. He also loved listening to music, especially to live bands. His favorite song, “Imagine” by John Lennon, reflects his relentlessly optimistic outlook on life. Prof. Whitsett wishes to be remembered as a man “who did what he said he would do,” as someone who left others feeling energized, included and significant, and as a man who lived and died on his terms. He had an extraordinarily sharp mind and wonderful sense of humor. Prof. Whitsett will be remembered as an amazing human being who embodied meaningful living.