Little, Roger W. 1922–2005

(Roger William Little)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born February 3, 1922, in Moose Lake, MN; died of complications from pneumonia, November 10, 2005, in Evanston, IL. Sociologist, educator, soldier, and author. A longtime sociology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Little was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Coming from a family of farmers whose members all joined the military, Little followed suit and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1940. When America entered the war, he found himself in Europe with the Third Army under General George Patton. Here he was wounded in battle and received the Purple Heart; he would also earn the Bronze Star Medal. Returning home, Little enrolled at Harvard University, where he completed his undergraduate work in sociology in 1948. This was followed by a master's degree in 1949. However, Little had a hard time finding work in his field, so he reenlisted in the army as a medic serving in Korea. He remained in the army after the war for many years, serving as a sociologist and, from 1963 to 1966, as assistant director of military psychology at West Point. Retiring as a lieutenant colonel, Little joined the University of Illinois at Chicago faculty as an associate professor in 1966. By the next year, he was made a full professor. A favorite of his students, especially for his class on the sociology of sexual behavior, he received six Silver Circle Awards for Excellence in Teaching during his tenure. Little was the coauthor of Sociology and the Military Establishment (1965) and Handbook of Military Institutions (1971), as well as editor and contributor to several other books.

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Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2005, section 1, p. 12.