Richard Witz

Richard L. Witz, 91, of Fargo, died on Saturday, Jun. 16, 2007, at home. He was born in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, on January 12, 1916, the son of Merle and Irma (Bullis) Witz. He graduated from New Lisbon High School, received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Science from Purdue University. Richard married Marjorie V. Hoover in Brook, Indiana on May 25, 1941. He was employed at Purdue University and later with Michigan State University. In 1945, Richard moved to Fargo to join the Agricultural Engineering faculty at North Dakota Agricultural College, now NDSU. He was initially employed by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station to design and oversee the construction of research buildings. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in North Dakota. He also began teaching and carrying out research in the application of electricity, automatic controls and instrumentation in agriculture. He was a Fellow member in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. He was invited to present the NDSU Faculty Lectureship for 1981, in recognition of distinguished academic achievement. Richard formally retired in 1983, with the honor of Professor Emeritus, but continued teaching and design work for many additional years. Richard was well known for his support of the Boy Scouts of America. He worked 50 years with Troop 214 in Fargo, from its founding in 1957. He was an ardent promoter of the BSA Wood Badge adult leadership program and the Chaplain Aide Program at Camp Wilderness. He was awarded the Silver Beaver, the Silver Antelope, and the James E. West Fellow Award for outstanding adult leadership in BSA. Richard was a member of Faith United Methodist Church, the National Association of United Methodist Scouters and Kiwanis International. Richard is survived by his wife, Marjorie; one son, John, Chantilly, Virginia; three grandchildren, Sean, Fort Worth, Texas; Megan Artaza, Houston, Texas; Ryan, Houston, Texas; and two great-grandchildren, Ashley Artaza and Richard. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Margaret; and a son, Fred. Funeral: Tuesday, July 3, at 2:00 pm in Faith United Methodist Church, Fargo. The family requests donations to the Witz Memorial Scouting Fund, in lieu of flowers.