NH Veterans for Peace member, Dr. Robert Maxwell O'Kane, died February 16, 2007, at age 86, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was a wonderful man who was still continuing the fight against a Marine JROTC unit at a local high school. He will be missed and remembered for his efforts to curb militarism and work for the cause of world peace
North Hampton – Robert Maxwell O’Kane, 86, of Atlantic Avenue, died Friday, February 16, 2007 at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
He was born in Dover, NH September 13, 1920 the son of the late Bernard D. and Evelyn V. (Marcotte) O’Kane. He was a graduate of Dover High School and a 1947 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where prior to WWII he played varsity hockey for the UNH Wildcats. He received his Masters in Education from the University of Vermont in 1952, did graduate studies at Boston University (1952-54), and received his Doctorate in Education from Harvard University in 1958.
During WWII, Dr. O’Kane served with the US. Army’s 7th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division in Europe, was the recipient of two Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, and retired as a Captain from the Army Reserve. Later in life he became an ardent member of Veteran’s For Peace and spoke frequently around the country of the senseless destruction war causes, particularly regarding the horror of land mines.
His career in education began as a teacher in Dover High School and Principal of Dover’s Woodman Park Elementary School. He was Superintendent of Schools in Ipswich, MA and Glen Cove, NY, and General Superintendent of the US Dependents Schools, for the Department of the Army in Europe, and Director of combined Department of Defense Dependents Schools for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Dr. O’Kane had been a professor Rutgers University and the University of North Carolina, where he served as Dean of the School of Education and then professor until his retirement in 1985. He had also been a visiting Professor at the University of New Hampshire.
He had been a member of the American Association of School Administrators, the National Education Association and of the many state teachers and supervisors associations. He lectured throughout the U.S., Europe, and Turkey on issues of education, leadership, and societal direction.
Family members include four sons, R. Sean O’Kane of Hollis, NH, Kevin M. O’Kane of Greensboro, NC; R. Casey O’Kane of Hollywood, CA, and T. Brooks, O’Kane of Hampton, NH; four grandchildren; a brother, Don O’Kane of Dover; two sisters, Kath Duff of Kingston, NY and Ann Whearty of Needham, MA; and several nieces and nephews.
