George Eugene Forrest Urch passed away on December 4, 2024 at age 94.  He was born in Oak Park, Illinois and spent his early years in Chicago before moving to Southwestern Michigan where he graduated from South Haven High School.  He continued his education at Western Michigan University where he received both a B.A. and M.A., and at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he was awarded his Ph.D. in Comparative Education in 1967.

During the Korean Conflict he served in the National Guard/Army with the 46^th Division, 126^th Infantry Regiment, but did not see combat.

His professional career in education began in Michigan where he taught Social Studies and coached high school sports.  He then traveled to Heidelberg, Germany where he taught at a U.S. Army high school for three years while coaching their football and basketball teams.  It was in Heidelberg where he met his future wife Dorothy, a fellow teacher at the school.

The two returned to the U.S. to get married and after the birth of his first two children, he and the family headed to East Africa for two years where he worked on his Ph.D., taught at Kenyatta College in Nairobi, and served as Kenya’s National Basketball Coach from 1964 – 66.  Upon his return to the United States, he taught classes at Eastern Michigan University, completed his Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan, and then headed to Massachusetts in 1967 after being awarded a Professorship at the University of Massachusetts School of Education in Amherst.  Settling in Hadley, he and his wife had their third child.  

He held several administrative posts in the School of Education and was a founding member of the Center for International Education.  Mr. Urch directed the University’s Global Horizon Program and the International Teacher Education Program.  He was the recipient of the Fulbright-Hays Awards and a National Endowment for the Humanities Award to develop strategies for adding Non-Western Studies to the public schools.  Mr. Urch was also co-founder of the Massachusetts Council on International Education which was designed to promote international activities in higher education. 

During his summers, he served as Dean of Summer Academic programs at the University of London’s Birkbeck College for many years, as well as various summer programs at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.  Mr. Urch directed educational development projects in over a dozen African countries and served as a consultant in over twenty colleges and universities in the U.S., Africa, and Southeast Asia.  In recognition of his extensive work with Teacher Training Colleges in the country, he was made an honorary citizen of Kenya by the country’s President, Daniel arap Moi.  He was the author and editor of several books, as well as over two dozen articles and published professional papers.

Beyond his interest in education, he had a passion for competitive sport which he participated in, coached, and watched.  Among his proudest basketball accomplishments was scoring a basket against Julius Erving in a pick-up game when Dr. J was a student at UMass.  He was an avid traveler who spent extensive time in six of the seven continents, enjoyed reading, and was an amateur military historian.

George was an active participant within his community in the Town of Hadley.  He was a former president of the Hadley Lions Club and the Hadley Historical Commission, and served on several town committees.  As an active member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst he was a past president of the Church Council and served as a Deacon.

George’s pride and joy was his extended family of 13.  He married the love of his life Dorothy Urch in 1958 and they enjoyed 57 wonderful years together before she passed away in 2015.  He leaves behind his oldest son George and his wife Mayela and George’s three children Kiersten, Taylor, and Andrew of Anaheim Hills, California; his daughter Vanessa, her husband Paul and their two children Ethan and Deanna in Durham, New Hampshire; and his youngest son Craig, his wife Lindsay and their two sons Colin and Owen in Wenham, Massachusetts.  He also leaves behind a number of special cousins from both his Father’s and Mother’s sides of the family.  His ancestors came from Urchfont, England, and Sweden.

A good life, well-lived.  His positive personality was infectious, and he was beloved by his students around the world.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life for George E.F. Urch on Saturday, January 18 at 12:00 Noon at Immanual Lutheran Church at 867 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, to be followed by a reception at 1:30 P.M. at the Inn on Boltwood (formerly Lord Jeffrey Inn) at 30 Boltwood Avenue in Amherst.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to encourage a contribution to University of Massachusetts Center for International Education Endowment Fund to assist university students.  You can donate online with a credit card at https://bit.ly /UMassCIE or make a check out to the “University of Massachusetts” and mail it to:  Center for International Education, College of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com