Harold A. Classen

Harold Classen came to La Crosse in 1954 when there were only 900 students on campus. He said, “everybody knew everybody else and it was the most friendly place to be.” He decided to stay because he liked the school and community and felt it was a good place to raise a family.

Classen was a native of Gilman, IL, and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Illinois State University-Normal in 1942 and 1947 respectively. In 1955, he received a doctorate from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Before coming to La Crosse, he taught at Nebraska and the University of Nevada in Reno.

He was chair of the geography/earth science department from 1965-1981. He served four terms on the faculty senate. He led the first extended geography summer field trip in 1955 and the first seminar to China in 1982. He was also the first geography professor in the Copenhagen program and served on a number of state teacher committees.

Dr. Classen passed away in La Crosse on March 29, 1989.