Dr. Frederick Field Ritsch, Jr.

Dr. Frederick Field Ritsch, Jr., Provost Emeritus of Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA, passed away May 4, 2016.

Ritsch was born Nov. 25, 1935, to Frederick Field Ritsch and Harriet Curtis Miller in Covington, VA. He attended the University of Virginia, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, and a member of the Raven and the Jefferson Societies. He received a Ph.D. in European history from UVA in 1963. He also attended the Sorbonne and University of Strasbourg in 1957-58, under a Fulbright Scholarship.  From 1959 to 1983, he taught European history, primarily at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, where he was head of the Division of Social Sciences. He was founder and director of the Center of Contemporary Humanities at Converse, receiving one of the first grants from the National Institute for the Humanities. In 1978, he was awarded Certified Merit, Institute of International Education.

From 1983 until 1996, he served as Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Elizabethtown College. In 2002 he retired as Professor of History Emeritus and Provost Emeritus.

Dr. Ritsch was a highly respected academic, teacher, and higher education administrator. He was a member of the selection committee for Fulbright Scholarships and author of several books and collections, as well as many articles on European history, French history and the Humanities. At Converse College, he directed the Milliken Scholar program.

Ritsch served on the Elizabethtown School Board and local planning commission.

Ritsch is preceded in death by his first wife, Jeannette McClung Ritsch, and his brother Harry Miller Ritsch. He is survived by his wife of nearly 25 years, Debra Ronning, and their daughter Anne Ronning Ritsch and grandchild Micah Talley; as well as his children by his first marriage: Lise Sundrla of Naples, FL, and her husband John; and the Rev. Dr.  Frederick Ritsch III of Fort Worth Texas, his wife Margaret, and their children, Sara Caitlin and Benjamin.

A service will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at Donegal Presbyterian Church, 1891 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552. Flowers may be sent to Donegal Presbyterian Church, 1891 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy, PA, 17552. Memorial gifts may be made to the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and to Donegal Presbyterian Church.  Arrangements have been entrusted with the Miller-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory, 130 North Market Street, Elizabethtown, PA  17022, 717-367-1543.

Condolences and memories may be shared at www.MillerFuneralHome.com

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