Albert A Watrel

Bismarck resident Dr. Albert Adam Watrel died at home surrounded by family on March 9, 2015. He was 87 years old. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, March 14, at First Presbyterian Church, 214 East Thayer Avenue, Bismarck, with Rev. Marvin Mutzenberger officiating. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. The North Dakota educator's journey to Bismarck began in Brooklyn, New York on December 23rd, 1927. The son of John and Julia Rochabowski Watrel, Al graduated from East Rutherford New Jersey High School in 1946. Awarded an athletic scholarship for football from Syracuse University, he developed a passion for science. Al earned his B.S. in Bacteriology and M.S. in Education and later, a PhD in Bio-Chemistry in 1961. Al played football at Syracuse from 1946 to 1950 and was co-captain of the Orange Varsity Football team in 1950. In 1987, Al was honored by the Syracuse Varsity Club by being elected to the Syracuse Athletic Hall of Fame as Letterwinner of Distinction, the highest honor bestowed to a former athlete. Al began his career in academia in 1951 as a professor at Cortland State Teachers College SUNY-Cortland in upstate New York, where he helped develop the Department of Chemistry and became its first chair. In the fall of 1967, Al was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship Grant from the American Council of Education to study college administration and served as Assistant to the President of San Jose State University. In 1968, he became President of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. In 1977, he became President of Dickinson State University in North Dakota. After 43 years of public service as an educator and administrator, he retired from DSU to Bismarck in 1994. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, the American Association of University Professors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Teachers Association and American Association of State Colleges and Universities. After retirement, Al was active in the Bismarck Rotary Club and Service Corps of Retired Executives SCORE. He first joined Rotary in Pennsylvania in 1968. He served as president of the Dickinson Rotary Club from 1989-1990 and was District Governor of District 5580 from 2002-2003. Al joined the Bismarck/Mandan SCORE Chapter in 1994 and became North Dakota SCORE District Director. Albert married his life partner of 58 years, Carole Ione Fabend, on June 30, 1956 in Nyack, New York. Together they raised a family and entertained many in the communities where they lived, promoting and highlighting academics and athletics at each institution. Al's hobbies included gardening, stamp collecting, photography, rock hounding and being around nature. To no one's surprise, he also had a deep passion for football, with the DSU Blue Hawks, Syracuse University Orange and the Pittsburgh Steelers as favorites. Albert is survived by his wife, Carole, his daughters, Jane Matthew Herzberg of Orlando, FL; Susan Watrel of Mishawaka, IN; twin sons, Robert Becca Watrel of Brookings, SD; William Jaime Watrel of Arlington, VA, four grandchildren and sister Delores Don Snyder of Westwood, NJ. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Nancy; parents John and Julia; and brother, Warren. He will be interned in Cortland, New York later this year next to his daughter Nancy. Memorials may be given to the Albert A. Watrel Scholarship Fund at Dickinson State University, the Bismarck Rotary Club Foundation and St. Alexius Hospice.

Albert A Watrel

December 23, 1927 - March 9, 2015