Neumaier, Dr. John J. Born October 30, 1921 in Frankfurt Germany. Passed away May 30, 2016 in Mount Dora, Florida. Dr. Neumaier's mother Leonore Schwarz was First Contralto in the Frankfurt Opera. His mother and many uncles, aunts, cousins and friends perished in the death camps of Nazi Germany. Neumaier left Germany in early 1939. After working on a farm in Great Britain, he immigrated to the United States arriving in Minneapolis in 1940 joining his father who had arrived several months earlier. Neumaier served as a prisoner of war interpreter during WWII. Neumaier married his first wife Virginia Bratman in 1944. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1948, receiving a PhD in philosophy in 1953. Hired in 1951 as a philosophy instructor at Hibbing Junior College, two years later Neumaier became Dean of the college. Neumaier was president of Moorhead State College from 1958 to 1968 during which time the college grew from a teacher's college with less than a thousand students to a liberal arts college with more than five thousand students. He took great pride in a Moorhead State program he initiated that resulted in greater diversity within the student population. From 1968 to 1972, Neumaier served as President of the State University of New York at New Paltz. During his tenure, the campus grew in academic quality, racial and ethnic diversity and student empowerment. For the final twenty years of his career, Neumaier was Professor of Social Philosophy at the State University of New York, Empire State College focusing his teaching on the concept of justice. During his youth, Neumaier witnessed the growth of fascism within his native land. His response to the murder of his mother and many loved ones was to become an educator helping people understand their differences rather than fear or attack them. Dr. Neumaier was disturbed by human beings' tendency to treat one another poorly and he never was afraid try to change the status quo. As a college president and as a community leader, Neumaier always felt justice was more important than tradition. In 1969, Neumaier was divorced from his first wife Virginia with whom he had had three children. He later married Sally Fletcher Luther, a respected former Minnesota state legislator. Neumaier and Luther's marriage was a source of delight for each of them. Sally Luther passed away in February of 2015. Neumaier remained active until his final days and was mentally and intellectually sharp until death. Neumaier loved his three children: Diane, Roger and John Fredric; his six grandchildren and his great grandson. Neumaier also loved Sally's three children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. A graveside memorial service will be held at Lakewood Cemetery at 11 AM on Saturday, July 2.