Donald A. Krueckeberg Papers

Donald A. Krueckeberg was born on August 31, 1938 in Mishawaka, Indiana and died on December 15, 2006 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer in New Brunswick, NJ. Prior to joining Rutgers University in 1967, Krueckeberg received a B.S. cum laude in Urban Planning from Michigan State University in 1960, and MCP and PhD. degrees in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962 and 1966, respectively. He briefly served on the faculty as an assistant professor of Urban Planning at MSU before joining the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in 1967 where he remained until his death.

During his tenure at the Bloustein school, Krueckeberg wore many hats: professor, dean, department chair, and program coordinator. He was a member of the graduate and African studies faculties and taught over a dozen courses and seminars. He supervised maters and doctoral students as well as served on several dissertation committees and was on of the examiners in the Preliminary Examination of doctoral students. He also served on numerous committees and in the University Senate.

Outside of the classroom, Dr. Krueckeberg was just as active. He authored dozens of articles and reviews, gave numerous presentations at various conferences and was the author of seven books. He served as editor of the premier academic journal of planning and public policy, The Journal of the American Institute of Planners (now JAPA) from 1976-1978 and also served as an editor or associate editor for numerous other journals and reviews. He was a member of nearly ten associations, including the American Planning Association for almost fifty years and at one point served as the secretary for the New Jersey Chapter.

He also had an illustrious consulting career as a licensed professional planner. He was a consultant for state governments, including advising the New Jersey Governor's Office on Energy and Environmental Policy. He consulted with the United Nations for land development in Africa, Bristol-Meyers Squib on a new plant location and as a consultant to the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico on population projection, to name a few. He served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment for Highland Park, New Jersey for a number of years and consulted privately on dozens of properties in central New Jersey as an expert in planning and zoning.

Personally, Krueckeberg had many passions. He was a lifelong and active member of the Lutheran Church. He was an avid skier and sailor, having served as commodore of the Raritan Yacht Club. He took pride in his service to his adopted state. He was vice president of the Middlesex Interfaith Partners with the Homeless; member of the board of the N.J. Alliance for Affordable Housing and a board member of the nonprofit Camden Lutheran Housing Corporation. He was deeply concerned with the issue of eminent domain years before it was a hot button issue after the Supreme Court's 2005 Kelo decision and was working on a book on the subject at his death. He was remembered by his colleagues as a, "bow-tied, bearded, meticulous, smiling professional upholder of academic, administrative and ethical standards; a passionate lover of cities and city pleasures who in his last years adored living a five-minute walk from work; a skillful skier, sailor and yachting commodore; and a quiet but steely moral guide to life in all its ups and downs."