Eugene I. Finke ’48

Eugene I. Finke ’48 died at his home in El Paso, Texas, on August 23, 2014. Gene entered Dartmouth in the Navy’s V-12 program and graduated in 1948. He was a member of the Canoe Club, DOC and Pi Lambda Phi. He remained in the Navy for 34 years, saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars, commanded the USS Henry B. Wilson and served as commodore of the Destroyer Squadron 15 and was chief of staff of the Defense Communications Agency. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. He retired as a captain in 1979 and moved to El Paso, where he served as a city representative for three terms, including being mayor pro tem, and served on the school board of trustees for the State of Texas and worked on many projects with the El Paso Community Foundation, including the restoration of the Plaza Theatre. Gene received the Conquistador Award, the highest honor the city of El Paso gives out, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Civics Award. He earned master’s degrees in international relations and public administration from George Washington University and in public science from University of Texas, El Paso, and a doctorate in in interdisciplinary studies from New Mexico State University. He was a teacher and administrator with the University of Phoenix. He is survived by his wife, Connie, sister Lois (and husband Bert), daughter Kathy (and husband Howard), stepson Harvey, grandsons Benjamin, Jacob, David and Peter and seven great-grandchildren.