A life of service to others ended on March 26, 2009, when professor emeritus George A. Warp of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs of the University of Minnesota passed away at age 95. George was born on June 12, 1913, in Northfield, Ohio, and graduated from Bedford High School in Ohio. Prior to being associated with the University of Minnesota for the past 60 years, he graduated from Oberlin College, Case Western University, and Columbia University, earning degrees in political science, public administration, international administration, as well as law. George served briefly as a political science faculty member at the University of Minnesota, where he met and married his late wife, Lois, in 1940 before entering the U.S. Navy following the entry of the United States into World War II. His service in the Pacific theater led to his postwar appointment as a civilian advisor under General MacArthur in Japan from 1946–1948. Upon completion of that assignment, George returned to the University of Minnesota in 1948 as a professor of political science and served first as associate director and then director of the graduate program in public administration in the department's Public Administration Center until 1965 when the center became a self-standing unit of the College of Liberal Arts. He remained director through 1968 when the center was succeeded by the School of Public Affairs and recreated as the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in 1978 as a collegiate unit named as a memorial honoring the late vice president and Minnesota's senator. George served as a professor and chair of graduate admissions until his retirement in 1982.
In his leadership of the public administration program, George was tireless and dedicated in serving the academic and career interests and needs of the students who sought preparation for public service and academic careers. In the classroom, he had a quiet, unassuming, unflappable approach, ever guiding, never combative, always with the students' interests at heart. One of George's greatest contributions to the university's public affairs programs was formalizing internships as part of the curriculum. He believed that students in a professional program needed practical training and relevant field experience to complement their coursework. One alumnus noted, “George pretty much invented the concept of paid internships in the public sector in Minnesota, using his contacts to obtain part time support for almost our entire class. To this day there are hundreds of former students who will attest that they are indebted to George for their careers, which began as public administration internships when they were his students.”
With host financial sponsorships of internships now more difficult to secure, in 2006, George made a sizeable stock gift to the Humphrey Institute to establish the George A. Warp Internship Fund to provide grants to support public policy and planning students who conduct unpaid or low-paying internships as part of their degree programs. His financial legacy reflects his commitment to the internship concept.
Not only was George known nationally and internationally in the field of administration, but within the university he initiated many interdisciplinary efforts to join a public administration curricular dimension to graduate programs in agriculture, social work, architecture, public health, as well as law, in some cases leading to joint-degree programs.
In his post retirement years George was active in the founding of the University of Minnesota Retirees Association, serving as one of its early presidents, and in the formation of the Minnesota Senior Federation, of which he also served as president. An avid university sports fan, he maintained to the end season tickets to Gopher football and men's basketball and hockey games, which he shared with his children. George is preceded in death by his wife, Lois, with whom he shared a wonderful life for over 60 years, and he is survived by his three children, Diana (Ray) Thron, John (Sandi) Warp, Cindy (Klaus Trieselmann) Winter; six grandchildren; and six great grandchildren.
At George's memorial service, one alumnus remarked in reflecting on his legacy of being of service to students, “In his own way he made sure he was helpful. His ideas were always thoughtful. Professor Warp was a nice decent man.” Another alumnus closed his eulogy remarks by saying, “We shall miss this kind gentle man, whose love for his wife, children, and grand and great grandchildren was known to all of us and whose dedication to the university and his responsibilities within it was legendary. He was proud of his students as they became alumni and made their mark in public service. He was a mentor, colleague, and friend of mine and at least one of these for each of you and even more for his children, Diana, John, and Cindy.”
