University News
WIU Mourns Passing of Norman Severinsen
December 19, 2010
CORRECTED INFORMATION: address of church
MACOMB, IL – K. Norman Severinsen, 80, the founding chairman of Western Illinois University's Department of Counselor Education, passed away Dec. 18 of complications from Parkinson's disease.
A visitation will be held from 6–8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 123 South Campbell Street, Macomb; and a celebration of his life will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22 at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Severinsen taught at Western Illinois University from 1961–1988. After teaching graduate classes in counseling and guidance and working with students in the counseling center, he became the founding chairman of WIU's Department of Counselor Education, a position he held for seven years.
In 1969, he wrote the book, "Career Guidance: An Individual Developmental Approach." (Charles E. Merrill Publishing, 1973) Severinsen was also a member of the first advisory board for the WIU Gerontology Program, teaching courses in counseling the elderly, legal aspects of the elderly and illnesses in an aging population.
He was an active civic servant; a founding director of the Fulton-McDonough Counties Mental Health Center, the Youth Service Bureau and the Radio Information Service. He was a charter member and the third president of the Macomb Lions Club, which he also served as treasurer for three years. In 1993, the club named him a Melvin Jones Fellow.
He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, and served as a photo analyst in Korea during 1953–54. He later earn a Ph.D. (1960) in education administration from the University of Iowa.
Severinsen and his wife, Rosalie, were longtime active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Macomb, where he served 11 years on the church council.
He is survived by Rosalie, his wife of 59 years; two children, Kay (Joseph) McElroy of Naperville (IL) and Kris (Maureen) Severinsen of Peoria; and seven grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Trinity Lutheran Church (Building Fund), 123 South Campbell Street, Macomb, IL 61455, or the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018 (www.parkinson.org).
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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