Richard Doetkott, 75

Richard "Dick" Paul Doetkott passed away on Dec. 20, 2011, surrounded by his family, at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, Calif.

Dick was born March 2, 1936, in St. Cloud, Minn., to Madeline (Sieverding) and Paul Doetkott. The family moved to River Falls in 1946. He attended school in River Falls, graduated in 1954, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls in 1958. He taught 1 year in Wisconsin before moving to California. He received a Master's degree from USC.

In 1964, he joined the staff of Chapman University. There he served as professor of communications studies. He and Richard Watson established the department of communications studies in 1972.

"The full measure of his contributions to the university is too long to list," according to Daniele Struppa, Chancellor of Chapman. "No faculty member could better represent the spirit of shared governance than Dick Doetkott. He taught a variety of courses, many of which he developed personally. It was through his development of a unique public speaking course, 'Communication Studies 101,' that Dick gained national recognition. Of all his contributions, the one he was most passionate about was teaching. He enabled students to gain confidence in public speaking and communicating in public. In recent years, he worked on a book on this methodology with his wife, former Chapman professor Dr. Pat Doetkott, and Lance Lockwood. This book, 'Introduction to Public Conversing,' was published in 2011."

Dick's professional interests encompassed both theatre and communications. He appeared in Paul Frizzler's movie "Getting Wasted" and as well in the television series "Higher Education."

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Madie.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Pat Doetkott, Yorba Linda, Calif.; his daughter, Wendy (Dylan) Rogan; grandson, Devon of Costa Mesa, Calif.; his brothers, Jerry (Maggie) of Cornucopia, Wis., and Rob (Laura) of River Falls, Wis.; and sister, Jude (Larry) Agema of Eau Claire, Wis.

Interment was at Fairhaven Memorial Cemetery, Santa Ana, Calif., on Dec. 30, 2011.

Memorials may be sent to: The Westie Rescue, PO Box 5006, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.

Tags: obituaries

Sign the guestbook

Comments posted on this page do not reflect opinions of Forum Communications Company. Forum Communications Company does not endorse and is not responsible for any statement, opinion, advice given or made. All replies are subject to approval and must follow Forum Communications Company guidelines concerning statements of libel, personal attacks or defamation of character. Replies in the "Talk About It" section that criticize a person by name may not be posted, unless that person is openly involved in a public issue. Comments written in all capital letters or bold print will not be considered for inclusion in the forum.

Terms & Conditions