Obituary of John Patrick Magnuson

DELHI _ John Patrick Magnuson, 81, a longtime resident of Delhi and a faculty member at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Delhi, passed away on Nov. 16, 2012. Family and friends are invited to join in a celebration of John's life at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8, 2012, at the State University of New York at Delhi in Alumni Hall, Hospitality Center. Born in Galesburg, Ill., on March 6, 1931, John was the son of Glen and Norma Magnuson. After graduation from Decatur (IL) High School, he joined the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War. He returned to the U.S. and attended Millikin University in Decatur and later graduate studies at the University of Wyoming College of Law. John entered the hospitality and tourism industry in 1960, when he joined the Yellowstone Park Company in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, as manager of the Hotel Division. But he aspired to teaching and in 1969, John joined the SUNY faculty as a professor in the Hospitality and Food Service Department. Known for his encouraging and enthusiastic teaching style, John maintained lifelong friendships with many of his students. There were a number of Chinese students attending the Hospitality Program, and in the summer of 1990, John was asked by the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Commerce to serve as a Foreign Expert in the areas of tourism development and hospitality marketing. His responsibilities included training management personnel from the Bureau of Tourism, China International Travel Service, and Western - style hotels. John also applied these same responsibilities when he became an Executive Volunteer with the International Executive Service Corps. He traveled to many countries, including China, Russia, Egypt, Uruguay, Jamaica and Mexico. John retired in June of 1991, however, he returned in September as an adjunct professor in the Business Department. And in January 1992, he came back to the Hospitality Department as an adjunct professor teaching Hospitality Law and Tourism. An endowed scholarship was established in his name at SUNY Delhi the year he retired. While many of his colleagues retired to Florida, John preferred to live out his years in Delhi, often saying "His hilltop was the closest place to Heaven on earth he will ever know." John is survived by his "bride" of 51 years, Paddy Phyllis Magnuson; his sisters-in-law, Mrs. Robert Berry (Fay) and Mrs. Robert Boyd (Barbara). He was predeceased by his sister, Julie Crouch and her husband, Robert Crouch of Pecos, Texas. Donations in John's memory may be made to the Heart of the Catskills Humane Society, P.O. Box 88, Delhi, NY 13753 (www.heartofthecatskills.org) or to Catskill Hospice and Palliative Care, 116 Main St., Delhi, NY 13753. Condolences for the family may be sent online at www.macarthurfh.com. Arrangements are by the MacArthur Funeral Home of Delhi.