Ronald J. Pelc obituary

Ronald J. Pelc, a former Western Michigan University staff member, died in Bradenton, Fla., June 3. He was 77.

Pelc, of Portage, Mich., and Bradenton, Fla., joined the WMU staff in 1964 and retired as associate registrar in 1995 after 31 years of service to the University.

He is survived by his wife, Diane, who also is a WMU retiree.

Ronald J. Pelc

Pelc began working full time at the University as a tab operator in the data processing area while still a student. After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration from WMU in 1965, several promotions followed.

They included being named assistant director of data processing in 1966 and director of the Data Processing Center in 1967.

In 1988, Pelc moved to the Registrar's Office and took on the role of user liaison for the University's new Integrated Student Information System, which kept a variety of records for more than 25,000 current students and many more thousands of past students.

The move came at a crucial time in the effort to more fully automate WMU's administrative operations.

As user liaison and later manager of the ISIS database, Pelc was responsible for teaching employees across campus how to use the system's capabilities. He also was involved in designing and implementing a variety of projects that integrated the system with key University activities, such as automated registration.

Remembrances

A memorial service will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 20, in the Beacon Club in Portage. Burial will be in Newton, Iowa.

Memorial gifts may be made to the American Heart Association or WMU's Mike Gary Athletic Fund.

Visit the Kalamazoo Gazette to make a memorial guestbook entry.