Norbert Severin Bischof (1933 – 2009)

Norbert Severin Bischof (1933 – 2009)
It is with deep sorrow that Norbert
Bischof's family, friends, and
colleagues mourn his death on 29
August. Born 18 July 1933 in
Syracuse, New York, Norbert and his
sister Inge were taken by his mother
Clara to Germany in 1937. There he
remained throughout World War II,
returning to America in 1949 to rejoin
his father Severin. He became
Valedictorian of his class at Syracuse
Central High School, where he
discovered geometry’s beautiful
deductive system.
Thereafter he studied physics and
mathematics at Syracuse University,
and was Salutatorian of his Class of
1955. Graduate study in mathematics
and philosophy followed at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison,
where he met Phyllis, his future wife, in
a political theory class and they began
lifelong enjoyments of nature, political
discussions, dancing, and foreign films.
Norbert and Phyllis drove to Berkeley in an old 1950 blue Ford, pulling a U-Haul trailer
filled with all their worldly possessions. Both enrolled in graduate school at the
University of California Berkeley (UCB) in 1958 and became teaching assistants.
At UCB Norbert thrived on taking philosophy of science and logic classes, but was most
inspired by the ancient Greek philosophers since they addressed his deepest concerns
of how to live a meaningful life and how to help form a just society. Later he heard Viktor
Frankl and gratefully incorporated his philosophy of logotherapy into his courses, most
especially through the book "Man's Search for Meaning". An inspired teacher and
mentor to students and faculty alike, Norbert taught at Merritt College in Oakland from
1960 until this year; in fact, he had planned to teach his beloved philosophy and a
trigonometry course this term.
What he learned out of frustration and confusion arising from his youth in Germany
during World War II was never to trust self-proclaimed authority, or to be persuaded by
any party line that he could not verify as true. He learned to listen carefully to people
and his environment to discern what role he might play in order to redress grievances,
improve justice, and live a more meaningful life. His was a journey from Socrates to
Victor Frankl.
In 1967 a colleague from Chabot College, Ted Staniford, and Norbert called the first
meeting in Oakland of community college academic senate representatives from 45
colleges around the state to form a Constitutional Convention with the purpose of
forming a Statewide Academic Senate for community colleges. After this convention
Ted and Norbert were appointed to write a constitution and after another year of work
and intense debate a great majority of colleges adopted it. Thus the Academic Senate
of California Community Colleges (http://www.asccc.org/) was born at its first meeting in
San Francisco in 1968.
In 1980 as President of this Statewide Academic Senate, Norbert initiated the first call
for all the three state senates of the University of California, California State
Universities, and Community Colleges to meet in Sacramento. Thus the Intersegmental
Coordinating Committee [ICC] of the Academic Senates was established; faculty
representatives of the three segments still meet regularly on student admission, transfer
and academic standards issues of the three systems statewide and report to their
respective statewide senates.
Over the years Norbert's passion for justice and good governance led him to serve as
President of Academic Senates at Merritt College, the Peralta District, and the statewide
Academic Senate. He pioneered efforts to bring students and faculty into academic
governance and inspired many to work to create procedures and policies to improve
education and promote fairness and equity. He will long be remembered for his wideranging
knowledge and interests.
Survived by his wife Phyllis of Berkeley, son Otto of El Cerrito and his wife Kyoko and
grandson Alexander Sky, son John of St. Paul, Minnesota, his wife Laura Dale, and
granddaughters Inge and Theodora, brother John Theodore of Sedgwick, Maine, nieces
Christiane Hofmann of Hannover, Germany, and Anette Naumann of Bremen, nephews
Peter Naumann of Bremen and Jens Naumann of Berlin, and brother-in-law Heinz
Naumann of Bremen.
On Sunday 11 October at 2:30 p.m. a Memorial Service will be held at the Unitarian
Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Road, Kensington California. Please consult
uucb.org for directions.
Contributions in honor of Norbert’s life may be made to the Norbert S. Bischof Memorial
Scholarship Fund c/o Peralta Colleges Foundation, 333 East 8th Street, Oakland,
California 94706. This fund will continue one of Norbert’s lifelong goals of supporting
Merritt Community College students as they transition into a four-year institution of
higher education.

Keith Conning: Norbert was the scoutmaster of Troop 5 in Berkeley. I was an assistant scoutmaster.