Richard Kocher

Message from the President

January 12, 2018

Dear LMU Community:

I am saddened to share with you that Richard Kocher, emeritus professor of English, passed away after a long illness on Jan. 7, 2018. He was 85 years old.

Professor Kocher’s career at the university began even before he joined the English Department in 1966: He earned his B.A. in English from Loyola University in 1956. Professor Kocher spent three years in the U.S. Air Force, and five years in the aerospace industry before he came back to the university as an assistant professor.

In his 39-year career, Professor Kocher taught a wide variety of courses, including classes in American literature, British literature from “Beowulf” to “Dubliners,” composition, and linguistics. He served a term as chair of the department, was director of the Writing Lab and Study Skills Center, and coordinator of the Secondary Schools Training Program.

Professor Kocher’s commitment to the education of the whole person and to LMU students is evident in the decades he served as an academic adviser; as an adviser to international students; and as a moderator of the LMU English Society, the Del Rey Players drama group, and El Grupo Folklorico. He also served on many university committees, including the Academic Budget Committee, the Grievance Committee, and the Facilities Committee. The LMU Faculty Hall of Fame proudly honors Professor Kocher.

He earned his master’s degree in English at USC in 1963 and his Ph.D. in English, also at USC, in 1978. 

A funeral Mass will be held Saturday, Feb. 3., at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel. Tom Rausch, S.J., will preside. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Richard Kocher's name to Silverado Hospice in Encino or the Independent Labrador Rescue of Southern California.

Please keep Dick and his family in your prayers and thoughts.

Sincerely,


Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D.
President