Herbert John Klausmeier

Born November 4, 1915 in Elberfeld, Indiana. Died May 20, 2014, Livonia, MI. Will be laid to rest in Forest Hills Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin.

Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, of Farmington Hills, MI, formerly San Diego, CA, and Madison, WI, died on May 20 at the age of 98.

Prof. Klausmeier was born in 1915 in southern Indiana. He attended one-room elementary schools and graduated from high school in 1931 at age 15 in a class of six. Higher education at Indiana State University (B.S. 1940, M.S. 1947) and Stanford University, (Ed.D. 1949) enabled him to escape poverty and enjoy a highly productive career as a professor at the University of Northern Colorado (1949-1952), and the University of Wisconsin - Madison (1952-1986). Before attending Stanford, he was a Navy officer during WW II, and taught in Indiana public schools for four years. Throughout his career, he tried to return to education some of the good things in life that education gave him.

Prof. Klausmeier's major achievements while at the University of Wisconsin include the following; founding and procuring funding for the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and developing it as a leader in improving elementary and secondary education; and with his colleagues at the Center, developing Individually Guided Education, an alternative to traditional elementary schooling. He directed the royalties that accrued from the sale of IGE materials to be used in establishing a Professorship in Education in the UW School of Education.

Prof. Klausmeier wrote successive editions of three widely acclaimed college textbooks for educators that tens of thousands of prospective teachers have used. His other achievements include developing effective educational programs for gifted students and formulating a seminal theory of concept learning and a closely related method for teaching concepts. In 2003 Mrs. Klausmeier and he initiated a scholarship program at Indiana State University that is providing scholarships annually for one to three needy, high achieving students committed to becoming teachers.

In his free time and during his long retirement years, Herbert enjoyed gardening, golfing, traveling, and most of all spending time with his family.

Professor Klausmeier is survived by his wife of 67 years, Iyla Johnson Klausmeier, a daughter, Connie Klausmeier Hutchinson, her husband, Marshall Hutchinson, Jr., grandchildren Jesse Marie & Travis Klausmeier, Christopher & Ashley Hutchinson, and two sisters. A son, Thomas Klausmeier, passed away in 2001.

Memorial Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 25th from 12:30-2:30 PM at Thayer-Rock Funeral Home in Downtown Farmington.

Memorial contributions may be made to Indiana State University Foundation, Klausmeier Scholarship in Education, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN. 47809 or Angela Hospice, 14100 Newburgh Rd., Livonia, MI, 48152.