William H. Kanzler obituary

Dr. William H. "Bill" Kanzler, professor emeritus of education and professional development at Western Michigan University, died May 11. He was 87.

Kanzler joined the faculty in 1961 and retired in 1987 after 26 years of service. He began his WMU career working with student teachers and teaching courses in directed teaching.

Before joining the WMU faculty, he was director of the intern teaching program for college graduates and director of the general education program for teachers at Temple University from 1960 to 1961.

Prior to that, he served as a guidance counselor at Grosse Pointe High School from 1953 to 1960; headed the mathematics department at the U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School in Bainbridge, Maryland, from 1951 to 1953; and taught junior high school mathematics and science in the Baltimore County Public Schools from 1949 to 1951.

A lieutenant in the Navy during World War II, Kanzler also served in the Korean War. He and his wife, Janet (Doige) Kanzler, both joined the WMU faculty in 1961 and taught at the University for 26 years. Janet, an associate professor emerita in health, physical education and recreation, preceded him in death in 1997.

Kanzler earned a bachelor's degree from the Naval Academy in 1947, a master's degree from Columbia University in 1952 and a doctoral degree from Wayne State University in 1960.

Services

A memorial gathering will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, in the Fountains at Bronson Place, 1700 Bronson Way, in Kalamazoo.

Remembrances

Visit obits.mlive.com/obituaries/kalamazoo to make a memorial guestbook entry.