Obituary: Dr. John Raymond Swanda Jr.

Dr. John Raymond Swanda Jr., 75, died on May 13, 2012. He was born on July 5, 1936.

Swanda, son of John and Margaret Weber Swanda, grew up in the small rural community of Schuyler, Nebraska, the agricultural bread basket of the nation. 

Although he came from a humble and modest background, he became a star athlete in high school and was the first in his family to attend college, where he continued his love of the game of football.

Pursuing his intellectual curiosity and his love of knowledge, Swanda received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Ill.

Some of his accomplishments include: 

• Served as professor of business at the University of Indiana at South Bend, was promoted to dean of the Graduate School of Business and Economics and became the administrative dean of entire Business and Economics Department, undergraduate and graduate. 

• Authored several books, one of which became a standard business textbook in higher education. The textbook, "Organizational Behavior, Systems and Applications," was translated into 20 languages. 

• Became a leading authority on ethics in business, publishing numerous articles and becoming a well-known speaker on the topic.

• Received the Outstanding Alumni Award from his alma mata, Midland University.

• Upon his retirement in 2004, the University of Indiana at South Bend established an endowed scholarship entitled: The John R. Swanda Ethics Award. This prestigious award is given annually to an outstanding business student who best exemplifies the highest standards of business ethics and professional behavior.

Dr. Swanda is predeceased by his son Brett in 2005 and wife Gwendolyn in 2012. He is survived by his adult children, Gus (Rosa) Swanda of South Korea, Koren Scott and grandchildren Tucker and Zoe Scott of Naples, Fla., as well as his sister, Sharon (Norman) Sherman of Woodbury, Conn.

Funeral services are pending.