Clifford I. Dobler -- 1998

    Clifford I. Dobler, 87, a retired University of Idaho professor and longtime Moscow resident, died Thursday in Moscow.  Death came as the result of a heart attack.
     Professor Dobler’s life, like so many of his generation, covered a tremendous span of American history.  He was born on October 10, 1911 to Lee and Minnie Thies Dobler near Ford in Kootenai County.  As was often the case in that long-ago era, his father was an immigrant and he was born not in a hospital but at his parents log house on their homestead.
      When it came time for Dobler to attend grade school he went to the Mud Bay School, which was a 16x24 foot, one-room schoolhouse.  Because of the small number of students and the ill health of the teacher, he finished 8th grade in 1922 at age 10.  To the end of his days, Dobler lamented being put ahead in this way.
      After two years doing chores on the farm, Dobler started high school at Rockford High in Rockford, WA.  Because of the difficulty of making the 12-mile buggy trip to school, he had to board with a family in town.   Dobler graduated from Rockford High in 1929.
      After high school, Dobler returned to the farm to try to earn college tuition money.  But this proved difficult as the Great Depression struck the nation.  With the coming of the New Deal, Dobler joined the CCCs in 1934.
      In 1935, he entered the University of Idaho where he studied accounting and law, graduating with degrees in both subjects in 1941.  While at college, Dobler met Norma Woodhouse.  They were married on June 14, 1941.  Theirs was a happy marriage that lasted until Norma passed away on June 1 of this year (1998).
     Soon after their marriage, our country was plunged into war and Dobler became an officer in the Navy.  While most of his time in service was spent in Seattle, he made two voyages across the Pacific, getting as far as Iwo Jima and Okinawa by the time the war ended.  After the Japanese surrender, he returned to the University of Idaho where he began a 31-year career as a professor of political science and then of business law.
     Dobler was always very proud of his record as a teacher.  He was adamant that teaching was the main responsibility of a college professor.  His dedication to his students was rewarded in 1965 when he won the U of I Fraternity Award as the outstanding teacher of the year.  He retired from the University in 1977.
     Along with his professional life, Dobler was a dedicated family man.  He and Norma became parents to three children, Sharon Vega of Boise, Carol Harris of Greensboro, North Carolina, and Terry Dobler of Boise.  These children, in turn, gave the Doblers 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.  This family was the source of great pride and joy to both Cliff and Norma.
     In his 87 years, Professor Dobler saw a great deal of our history.  He was born on a homestead that lacked electricity and running water but lived to see space travel and the age of the Internet.  He was born on an isolated rural homestead and ended up traveling the world.  He lived a remarkable life in a remarkable time.  His presence will be missed by family and neighbors.
     A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 21 (1998) at 1 PM at the First United Methodist Church in Moscow.    The family asks that donations be sent to the “Norma and Cliff Dobler Scholarship Fund” in care of the University of Idaho Foundation in lieu of flowers.