Dr. Francis Patrick Purcell

In addition to contributions to his profession, Purcell was a "person who had very strong values" that were reflected in his personal life, said colleague Professor Mario D'Angeli. Purcell was recruited by D'Angeli in 1966 to head SF State's newly created Graduate School of Social Work.

"We first met when I was in New York interviewing candidates for the position. He told me he could see me only late in the day," D'Angeli said. Although Purcell did not offer an explanation at the time, D'Angeli said he later found out why: Purcell had appeared that morning on the NBC-TV "Today" program to expose corruption in business.

"He was the sort of person that could never let that go by," D'Angeli said, adding that Purcell spent his life fighting "corrupt power, oppression and racism."

Purcell, he said, worked on the railroad as a youth in North Dakota, tended bar and was a boxer in the military. During World War II, Purcell was the only crew member to survive when his plane was forced to ditch in the Gulf of Mexico on an anti-submarine patrol, D'Angeli said.

After the war, Purcell received master's degrees in social work and public administration from the University of Denver and New York University. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies from Lawrence University in Santa Barbara, and taught at the University of Louisville, the University of Illinois, and Rutgers University before joining President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" as a program director for Mobilization for Youth in N.Y. City.

His article "The House on Sixth Street," co-authored with U.C. Berkeley professor Harry Specht, was used by schools of social work as a teaching tool.

But Purcell's talents were never confined to the classroom. When American Indians occupied Alcatraz island in the '70s, authorities moved to cut off the island's electricity. Purcell made his abilities as an electrician available, D'Angeli said.

"He went out there and turned on the power for them," he said.

Purcell is survived by his wife, Mrs. Jean Purcell, two sons, two daughters and four grandchildren.

Campus memorial services will be held Wed., Nov. 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Seven Hills Conference Center guest house. Those wishing to make donations in Purcell's memory are asked to contribute to the charity of their choice in his name.

[ Golden Gater Online October 19, 1995 ]

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