John Boll in his office in 1962 (Photo courtesy School of Library and Information Studies).
John Boll, Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died on March 17. He was 91.
Boll taught in UW-Madison's School of Library and Information Studies from 1956 until his retirement in 1992.
Boll taught generations of SLIS students, some of whom claim they "majored in John Boll" because they took as many classes from him as possible. Boll asserted that the dry sense of humor he used in class was only a device to keep his students awake, but former students appreciated his sharp and exacting nature and demanding classes as well as his quick wit.
Boll was born in Berlin, Germany on Aug. 12, 1921. His family moved to Schenectady, New York, in 1936, and he graduated from Schenectady's Union College in 1942. After serving in the Army, Boll went on to receive his master's degree from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Ruth, and their three children and five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on March 22 at 2:30 p.m. at the Tree of Life Chapel, Oakwood Village East, 5565 Tancho Drive, Madison. A visitation will be held on Friday at the chapel from 1:30 p.m. until the time of service.
Family requests any donations in John's memory be given to the School of Library and Information Studies at UW-Madison, Room 4217 Helen C. White Hall, 600 North Park Street, Madison, WI 53706.