Obituary of Josef A. Mestenhauser

Josef A. Mestenhauser, Distinguished International Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, pioneer in the field of international education and former Honorary Consul to the Czech Republic, died peacefully March 14, 2015 at his home in Richfield, surrounded by his family. He was just shy of his 90th birthday. A public celebration of his life will be held at the Cowles Auditorium in the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota on Oct. 3, 2015 at 1:00pm. Memorials preferred to the Mestenhauser Legacy Initiative Fund, #8710, University of Minnesota Foundation, For more information about the memorial event or the Legacy Fund, please visit global.umn.edu/icc/legacy/ Josef was born on June 23, 1925, in Vrchlabi, Czechoslovakia, in the Krkonose Mountains. His childhood was spent opposing first the Nazi occupation of his country and eventually, the communist take-over in 1948. He studied law at Charles University in Prague and was very active as a student leader. Months shy of graduation, he was arrested for political activity and eventually escaped, coming to the U.S. as a political refugee on a scholarship as a ski instructor at Eastern Washington University. It was there that he met his wife, Patricia, and married in 1951 in Minnesota, where they settled and raised their family. Josef began his career at the University of Minnesota in 1950 working as a Foreign Student Advisor while completing his PhD. He stayed at the U throughout his career and continued advising and lecturing around the world. He never really retired and even gave a skype lecture from his living room just weeks before he died. He came to this country as a foreign student and devoted his life to working with students throughout the world while furthering the field of international education. Since he was not able to return to his homeland under communist rule, he spent his career focusing on other parts of the world - primarily Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan. After communism fell, he returned to Prague in 1991, along with 60 others, to receive the law degree from Charles University that had been earned so many years earlier. Once considered an “enemy of the people” he was appointed by President Václav Havel in 1999 to represent his country as the Czech Honorary Consul for the Upper Midwest – a post that he held until 2008. A four-time Fulbright Scholar, Josef was a pioneer in the field of international education and was widely known as an interdisciplinary and visionary thinker, serving nationally and internationally as a teacher, mentor, consultant, and leader. He was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a diplomat, though perhaps not in the way he had envisioned. It pained him deeply when his beloved country split in 1993 into Slovakia and the Czech Republic and perhaps it was this split that prompted him to work with others in Minnesota to create the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota, of which he was the founding president. Among numerous honors he received was the Marita Houlihan Award for Excellence in International Education; Centennial Award from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; Comenius Medallion from the Prime Minister of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic; International Citizen Award from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul;, Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education by Charles University in commemoration of the 650th anniversary of its founding; Presidential Silver Medal from President Vaclav Havel; Jan Masaryk Silver Memorial Medal from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; and the Distinguished Global Engagement Award from the University of Minnesota. He also held honorary professorships at Charles University in Prague, the University in Minsk, and the State Pedagogical University in Bishkek. A long time friend wrote this: The sadness I felt when I learned of Josef Mestenhauser's death was deep and brought memories of our friendship and professional work. I can't remember when I met Joe! Our mutual interest in justice, fairness and equality, I am sure, brought us together at the many events at the University of Minnesota. Joe always freely shared his research, travels and strategies to address the issues of justice throughout the world. We served on many committees and I always learned from him. He was a gift of knowledge and friendship. His scholarship and unselfish sharing are the lessons he taught his students and colleagues. I pray that model will survive this troubled period of history. I pray his wonderful family will remember how much Joe was loved and respected by so many. — Josie R. Johnson, Regent Emeritus and former associate vice president, University of Minnesota Despite all of his scholarly achievements and awards, he was never too busy for his grandchildren. He would put away all of his deadlines to read books or play games with them. And he LOVED going to watch them participate in sports, music, cheerleading, . . . Whatever they were involved with he was one of their greatest supporters. The them, he was just “Grandpa.” Preceded in death by his parents [Josef and Marie Mestenhauser and brother Zdenek Mestenhauser, all of the Czech Republic]. Survived by his loving wife, Patricia; children, grand-children, great granddaughter, nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends throughout the world.