News
Photo of John Oster from his years teaching at UW-SP.
Soviet Union expert professor passes away
The Pointer
kleb524@uwsp.edu
John Oster began his University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point career when the Cold War really began to heat up and ended only a few short years after it ended.
Oster became a political science professor at UW-SP in 1962, providing students with his expertise on the Soviet Union for the following 30 years until his retirement in 1992.
Oster passed away Sunday at Kennedy Park Medical and Rehabilitation Center in Milwaukee, Wis. after a nine-year battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 80.
More commonly called “Jack,” after Jack Kennedy, Oster became the first hire of the university’s political science department which branched out from the history department. As a professor in the international relations emphasis area, with expertise in the Soviet Union, Oster taught a variety of students, helping them to understand what was happening in the world around them.
But Oster went beyond the classroom in helping students learn about political science. Beginning in 1970, Oster would lead more than a dozen study abroad trips to the Soviet Union during his tenure. The trips took place around the time of spring break, lasting one week. He also went to England and once led a group once to China.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 19, 1929, Oster became interested in the world around him early in life.
“His father was an influence to him. His father, when he was growing up in Cleveland, would take him into the library. They’d read all the papers; they’d read all the news,” said his wife, Mary. “He was in his teenage years during WWII. As a result of the attention paid, Jack was very knowledgeable about it. It really meant something to him.”
The interest Oster had in the newspapers translated to his classes through his teaching style. His interest in current events and the Soviet Union allowed him to teach out from the newspapers.
“These were the sources for the students,” Mary said.
Oster, was a great source for his students also, colleagues and current political science professors Dennis Riley and Ed Miller explained. Both stated he had a great level of enthusiasm and care for the students.
“He was a really interesting guy,” said Riley. “He was very generous and very easy to get along with. We all really liked him. Students especially liked him.”
When Oster was not teaching he spent much of his time doing the outdoor activities he enjoyed so much. In the wintertime, he would go downhill and cross country skiing, while the summers were reserved for camping, canoeing, hiking and jogging throughout the state. But staying at home in Mosinee was also enjoyable as he was living his and his wife’s dream of owning a log cabin on the river.
Of course when he taught, Oster had to leave his home early in the morning, explained former colleague and best friend Professor Emeritus Jim Canfield.
“He always scheduled very early morning classes and he had a giant pot of coffee. He would be drinking coffee constantly. Even back in the days when we had 7:45 classes he would always schedule those,” said Canfield. “He liked to teach early in the morning. I know students don’t like to sign up for those classes, but they always did for his.”
Oster is survived by his wife, Mosinee, Wis.; sister-in-law Barbara Oster, Cape Coral , Fla. one nephew Clint Oster, Bocaraton Fla; and two nieces Kathi Lurie Fort Myers, Fla. and Marilyn Palmer, Cape Coral Fla.
Mid-Wisconsin Cremation Society, Schofield, Wis. is assisting the family with arrangements.
