Dean Engel

Dean C. Engel, age 90, passed away on Monday, March 11, 2019 in Grand Forks, ND surrounded by family.

Dean Courtney Engel was born July 1, 1928 in Kenmare, ND to Otto and Gladys Engel. While Dean began his academic life in a small rural school, he demonstrated an early love of learning and was actively involved in multiple pursuits including sports, music, and Scouting, eventually earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 1944.  He attended Minot State Teachers College, the University of North Dakota, Case Western Reserve and received a doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota. 

Dean served 3 years in the Army as a 1^st Lieutenant during the Korean conflict with the 13^th Engineer Combat Battalion, 7^th Infantry Division.  He was awarded a Bronze star during his deployment on Pork Chop Hill.

After completing his military service, Dean came to the University of North Dakota in the mid-1950s seeking a graduate degree in speech.  He returned to UND 10 years later having pursued higher studies in the area of speech and hearing development and became Chairman of the newly formed Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, a position he held for 11 years.  He served as President of the North Dakota Speech-Language and Hearing Association and was elected a Fellow of ASHA.  His work helped make UND a nationally recognized school of excellence in speech-language pathology and audiology.  He retired from UND in the spring of 1993.

In his leisure time, Dean enjoyed fishing, boating and spending time with his family and dog at their lake cabin on beautiful White Earth Lake, MN.

Dean is survived by his wife, Katherine Jean Thomas of Thief River Falls, MN, children, Chris, Scott, Paul, Peter, Betsy, and grandchildren Caroline, Nicholas, and Max.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Gladys Engel and his sister Jean Rohrer. 

A memorial service will be held at 2PM, Wednesday, March 13th at Amundson Funeral Home, Grand Forks, ND.  Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are welcome to the Dr. Dean C. Engel Scholarship Endowment, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, UND Foundation, Grand Forks, ND  58202.