James Walter Lindeen

James W. Lindeen, a longtime resident of Sylvania Township, was born in 1939 in Omaha, Nebraska to Walter Elmer Lindeen and Evelyn May Noble Lindeen.

Jim was a graduate of Omaha University, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Particularly because of the influence of Professor W. C. Breckinridge Lambert, he developed an interest in studying politics because of the great breadth of human life that it embraces. He then received Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from University of Nebraska. It was in Lincoln, on the top floor of Love Memorial Library, that he met Shirley Ann in September of 1962 and the two were wed in August 1963.

After a year teaching at the University of Central Missouri, Jim and Shirley arrived at the University of Toledo in 1967. His areas of teaching and research were legislative behavior, public opinion, and political economy. His book Governing America’s Economy was never seen on any list of best sellers; and he was at work on a manuscript to be called “Eighteen Recessions” at the time of his death.

Professor Lindeen was the longtime Director of the Department of Political Science’s Master of Arts Program, and served as Department Chairman from 1995 to 2000. At various times he served on the Council of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Faculty Senate, and the University Athletic Committee.

He was fond of saying that, except for summers during high school and college, he never had a job. Instead, he had a career—scholarship—that he loved. The world of ideas is a seamless web of knowledge. Because he believed that everyone else should have careers too, and more than one in today’s world, he found that his most rewarding experience at the University came after his departmental chairmanship, and with the chance to serve as an undergraduate adviser. His role was not simply telling students which courses and requirements were needed for timely graduation. Instead, he sought to elicit from each person what she or he would like to be doing ten or twenty years from now, and to guide them to the courses, experiences, and people who might help them reach that goal.

He is preceded in death by his wife Shirley. He is survived by his daughter Lorelei Ann Collins (Edward A.) of Huntington Woods, Michigan, granddaughter Blythe Elizabeth Collins, son James Edward Lindeen (Kristen R.) of Portland, Michigan.

A memorial service will be held later at St. Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4718 Brittany Road, Toledo, OH 43615-2314 where he was a long-time parishioner and former member of the Vestry.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Dion Foundation for Children with Rare Diseases Inc., a cause which helps support research and development of treatments and cures that will help his granddaughter.

https://www.thedionfund.org/

CHECKS CAN BE MADE PAYABLE TO: THE DION FOUNDATION PO BOX 550011, WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, 02455