Jurgen Herbst

Durango resident Jurgen Herbst died on Saturday, January 12, 2013, at Sunshine Gardens West in Durango of natural causes. He was 84, and had lived in Durango since 1994. Mr. Herbst was born to Annemarie and Hermann in Wolfenbuttel, Germany, on February 22, 1928. At the end of WWII, Mr. Herbst moved to Lincoln, Nebraska through a fellowship from the Quaker American Friends Service Committee. He received a B.A. in geography from the University of Nebraska. On Sept. 16, 1951, he married Susan Lou Allen in a Quaker wedding in Lincoln. Early in their marriage, the couple lived in Hannover, Germany, for several years where he served as an education affairs specialist in the field office of the U.S. Information Agency. Mr. Herbst received an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in History of American Civilization from Harvard University. He taught history and education at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut before moving to Madison, Wis. for 30 years. He served as Chair of the City of Madison Ethics Board, and member of the First Congregational Church executive board. Mr. Herbst was professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) history department, and professor emeritus of the UW Educational Policy Studies Department of the School of Education, which he helped make into one of the leading producers of scholars in history of American education, and social science scholars trained to study educational issues and problems. A visiting professor noted that Mr. Herbst made his household “a haven of information, hospitality, and good cheer for academic visitors, as it was for graduate students.” He was a member of the National Academy of Education, president of the History of Education Society (HES), and chair of the International Standing Conference for the History of Education. His publications include a memoir about his childhood in Germany, and books on the history of American higher education, teacher education, and secondary education.
He held temporary appointments as guest professor to the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Vienna, Austria; visiting associate to the Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California at Berkeley; fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; and Fulbright lecturer in American Civilization to the University of Heidelberg, Germany. In Durango, Mr. Herbst was a professional associate of Fort Lewis College, and member of the La Plata County Search and Rescue. Mr. Herbst is survived by his daughters Stephanie Herbst of Durango and Anne Herbst and her partner Barbara McCarthy of Boston, Ma.; son, Kris Herbst and his wife Tiffany Montavon, of Arlington, Va.; brother, Pat Allen, of Sedalia, Mo.; sister, Sally Marshall, of Phoenix, Az.; and his granddaughter Sheyanne Hunsinger. Mr. Herbst was preceded in death by his wife, Susan.
A celebration of life open house will be held between 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 19, 2013, at the Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Friends Service Committee, AFSC Development, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102.