Distinguished C.W. Post Professor and British History Scholar
Regis A. Courtemanche Passes Away at Age 70

Dr. Regis A. Courtemanche, an esteemed professor of British history who dazzled his students with his keen wit, animated storytelling and vast knowledge of western and military history, passed away on March 9 at the age of 70. Dr. Courtemanche had served as a professor of history at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, N.Y. for 37 years.

During his career, he taught more than 17,000 students a wide array of undergraduate courses ranging from Western civilization to the influence of sea power on modern history. Enthusiastic about bringing history to life for his students, Dr. Courtemanche was often seen walking to class with a model ship or airplane tucked under his arm for use as a teaching aid. "For many years, I ran a miniature steam tractor around the classroom so all could hear and smell one of the great inventions of the nineteenth century," Dr. Courtemanche said during an interview last year. "I feel an obligation to my classes to present the material so that they remember it."

Admired by his colleagues and adored by his students, Dr. Courtemanche was nominated by the campus in 2003 for the U.S. Professor of the Year program sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Forever devoted to teaching, he would forego his sabbaticals and would teach year-round, including the summer months and the traditional fall and spring semesters.

According to world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Bob Brier, a friend and colleague for three decades, "When Reggie was teaching with his classroom door open, there was often a small group of passersby huddled outside the door to hear what he was saying." Dr. Brier added, "He was a great scholar who presented an incredible amount of information to undergraduates and left them wanting more."

Dr. Courtemanche taught in C.W. Post’s nationally known Honors Program for students who demonstrate outstanding intellectual abilities. According to Dr. Joan Digby, director of the Honors Program, Dr. Courtemanche would lecture with scrupulous detail and could give the impression that he had been an eyewitness to all of western history. "As of result of his influential core honors course, a great number of students over the years have become history majors and in, time, history teachers," Dr. Digby said. "I have observed generations of students mesmerized by his teaching."

Several college students interviewed said they always looked forward to Dr. Courtemanche’s class, even though it started at 8 a.m. "It is not difficult at all to describe the feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment that were visible in each of Dr. Courtemanche’s students as they sat down for his class," said Gregory W. Schimmel, an honors history education major wrote in an essay last year about Dr. Courtemanche’s teaching abilities. "I found myself extremely disappointed on the rare occasion that he was forced to cancel class. This contradicts the feeling I normally get when a class is cancelled."

Dr. Courtemanche began teaching in the History Department as an adjunct professor in 1963 and served as chairman of the department from 1978-1981. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from St. John’s University and his Ph.D. in international history from the London School of Economics. He saw active duty in the United States Navy from 1952-1956 and was the author of two books, "No Need of Glory, The British Navy in American Waters, 1860-1864," and "Forty Years Against the Tide, Congress and the Welfare State," co-authored with Senator Carl T. Curtis of Nebraska and published by Regnery in 1986. Most recently, Dr. Courtemanche had researched the papers of Dr. George Bright, a physician who served in the Union Navy from 1861-1865. As a consultant, Dr. Courtemanche prepared educational materials for The Smithsonian Aviation and Space Museum, NATO and the Tenneco Corporation. He was a recipient of Long Island University’s 1989 David Newton Award for Teaching Excellence and the 1985 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the College as a Teacher and Scholar.

Dr. Courtemanche is survived by his wife, Patricia, and seven children, Eleanor (Ted), Catherine (Jan), Sophie, Jeanne (Mike), Margaret (Andrew), Regis and David; his grandchildren Nicholas, Anya, and Nathan; and his siblings Gerard, Annette, and Marie.

A wake will be held at M.A. Connell Funeral Home, 934 New York Avenue (Route 110), Huntington Station (631-427-1123) on Thursday, March 11 and Friday, March 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, 400 West Main Street, Huntington (631-385-3311) on Saturday, March 13 at 9:30 a.m. Interment will be private.