May 11 memorial service planned for Tom Noer
Saddened by the loss of Tom Noer, a professor emeritus who brought U.S. history to life for 46 years at Carthage, longtime colleagues are celebrating his immeasurable impact.
Prof. Noer passed away March 29 at age 79. Surviving family members include his wife, Linda, a professor emerita of social work who retired from Carthage in 2015 after a 33-year career.
All whose lives he touched are invited to attend a memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 11, in the Jockey rooms of the Todd Wehr Center. Visitation will be held beforehand, starting at 10:30.
During his undergraduate studies at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, Prof. Noer traveled to Mississippi to take part in the Freedom Summer of 1964, a registration campaign for Black voters at the height of the civil rights movement. That eye-opening experience set the course for his career.
After joining the Carthage faculty in 1973, he imparted a passion for history to generations of students as the Valor Distinguished Professor in the Humanities. The College reserves that endowed position for an eminent teacher and scholar.
Despite his unwaveringly high expectations — or perhaps because of them — many Carthage alumni look back on Prof. Noer as a major influence. Combining an intimate knowledge of 20th century American history with a natural gift for storytelling, he earned the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1980-81.
Appreciated for his dry humor, Prof. Noer nonetheless held faculty colleagues to the same lofty standards. “Be brilliant,” he would often remind them as they headed off to teach their respective classes.
“As I got to know him better, I realized he was dead serious,” said Professor John Leazer, chair of the History Department. “It was not a matter of how hard we tried as instructors. He expected us to be brilliant, for the sake of the students, the department, and Carthage — every time, every class … no excuses.”
Later, Prof. Noer helped to establish the Ross Room as a physical hub for the History Department. Relatives of the late Nelson Peter Ross, a Carthage history professor in the 1960s and ’70s, provided financial support for the space that’s now located in Lentz Hall.
“Tom’s colleagues, past and present, are indeed fortunate to have had the privilege of sharing his expertise, work ethic, commitment, and friendship,” said history professor Eric Pullin. “Tom left a remarkable and unquantifiable legacy behind, one which will remain with us for years to come.”
Alongside his work in the classroom, Prof. Noer authored many articles and three influential books that established him as an authoritative scholar: “Cold War and Black Liberation,” “Briton, Boer, and Yankee: The United States and South Africa,” and “Soapy: A Biography of G. Mennen Williams.” He held a Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota.
He embraced the local community, serving as a board member for the Kenosha Public Library, the Kenosha History Center, and Grace Lutheran Church. For many years, he contributed guest columns that both informed and entertained readers of the Kenosha News.
In addition to his wife of 56 years, Prof. Noer is survived by a brother and two children. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking mourners to make a donation to the Dr. Thomas Noer Scholarship at Carthage.