Edwin Anderson

Edwin M. Anderson, long-time NDSU Electrical Engineering Professor, passed away peacefully at St. Benedict?s Health Center Garden View on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 with his loving family by his side. Mass of Christian Burial will be 9:30 a. m. , Friday, May 27, 2005 at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Dickinson, North Dakota. Graveside services will be held immediately after the funeral at Queen of Peace Catholic Church with military rites provided by Dickinson Veterans Drill Team. A lunch and fellowship will follow. Interment will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, North Dakota. Visitation will be Noon to 9 p. m. , Thursday, May 26, 2005 at Price-Murphy Funeral Home, Dickinson, with a rosary and sharing of memories at 7 p. m. Ed was born November 14, 1920 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Virginia (Miller) and Ernest Anderson. He grew up in Chicago where he graduated from Lindblom High School. He received a football scholarship from Northwestern University, but declined to attend the University of California, Berkley. College dreams were interrupted by Pearl Harbor and Edwin enlisted in the Army Air Corps Division of the Army. He earned the rank of 2nd Lt. after attending officer?s training at Yale University. He flew in B-26 bombers during the war in a group called ?Bridge Busters?. Ed served in the North Dakota Air National guard. Ed was discharged with the rank of Captain. While stationed in Denver, Ed met Kathleen Nance. They were married October 3, 1942, and remained together until Kay?s death in 1994. Ed married Bette Rohrer on April 13, 1996 at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona. They were blessed with 9 ? wonderful years together. Following his discharge from active duty, Ed completed his BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering at the University of Denver. After job offers from Utah, Minnesota, Georgia, Colorado, and Texas, he chose to teach Engineering at North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo, ND because the job came with a tin hut for housing!Ed taught at NDSU from 1949-1982, chairing the EEE Department from 1958 to 1978. He also briefly chaired the Physics Department and was Acting Dean of Engineering in 1975. Ed did his Doctoral work at Purdue University in Indiana. Ed wrote a text entitled ?Electric Transmission Line Fundamentals?, which was used on many campuses during the 1980?s. Professor Anderson received many awards while at NDSU, including the National Science Foundation Science Teacher Fellowship, Faculty Lectureship, Blue Key Distinguished Educator and an Honorary Doctorate in 1985 from North Dakota State University. From 1965-1969, Ed was responsible for obtaining four National Science Foundation grants, which gave the EEE Dept. $90,000 worth of lab equipment used to establish four new laboratories. Ed?s name appeared in the 1973 edition of ?Outstanding Educator of America. ? That was an annual award program honoring distinguished men and women for their exceptional service, achievements, and leadership in the field of education. Professor Anderson was a premier educator that captured the attention of all of his students through his ability to explain engineering concepts with jokes, wit, humor, wearing his chalk-laden suit jacket hastily donned before every class. Many students and colleagues have continued to correspond with Ed throughout the years. He was sought after as a Master of Ceremonies, coordinated the early Sharivar years and was one of the most dedicated Bison Boosters, rarely missing a football game during his tenure at NDSU. While working during the summers for Ottertail Power Company in Fergus Falls, MN, Ed designed the electrical wire component on the now-existing electrical power lines across North Dakota. These lines can still be seen across the ND prairie. Ed played an important role in NDSU?s entry into the computer age. In the 1950?s, Ed had the vision to lead NDSU into the computer age by encouraging faculty members in the department to prepare themselves to teach about and work with computers. He helped secure the first digital computer on the NDSU campus in the EEE Dept. in 1960. Ed is survived by his wife, Bette Anderson; three daughters, Anita and Jerry Galloway, Mary Kay and Vance Rheingans, Sue and Gene Jackson; one son, David Anderson; one former daughter-in-law, Beth Kiffe; one brother, Don (Mary) Anderson, Encinitas, CA; thirteen grandchildren, Kathy and Casey Schmidt, Emily and Bob Benner, Dan and Claudine Galloway, Jaime and Brandon Vonderharr, Kali Rheingans, Meg and Mike Zinda, Carl and Andrea Jackson, Thomas and Tanya Jackson, Jim Jackson, Jeffrey Jackson, John Anderson, Julie Anderson and Charles Anderson; twelve great-grandchildren, Connor and McKenzie Schmidt, Andrew, Stephen and Thomas Benner, Logan and Emma Galloway, Caitlin and Emilie Zinda, Thomas and Allison Jackson, and Josephine Jackson. Ed also leaves four step-children, Bruce Rohrer, Allan Rohrer, Diane Steinbach, and Meriedith Iliff, 13 step-grandchildren and 5 step great -grandchildren. Ed was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen; daughter-in-law, Susan Anderson; great- granddaughter, Mary Benner, and his mother and father. Memorials may be sent to the Ed and Kay Anderson Scholarship Fund for Electrical Engineering at NDSU, PO Box 5144, Fargo, ND 58105, or to the North Dakota Veterans? Cemetery, 1825 46th St. , Mandan, ND 58554.


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Burial Date: May 27, 2005
Funeral Home Dickinson, ND

Funeral Mass: Friday, Queen of Peace Catholic Church