[AT] Dave Rotigel

Fri Nov 10 08:33:09 PST 2017

Good remembrances, Farmer.  I ran into Dave in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Indiana (at SIAM) and got really confused about where he really lived--he seemed to be everywhere.

Larry

---- Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com> wrote: 
> I can't remember which one of us started the "Evil Dave" handle for him...
> Maybe George Willer? Hell, it might have been me. Sounds like something I
> would do.  :-)  I just don't recall. Does anyone remember? I know that I
> used it a lot. I think that he took it as a compliment.  :-)
> Many of his more toxic tirades came on weekend nights and some were pretty
> garbled. I used to accuse him of posting while intoxicated... On fairly
> rare occasions he emailed me privately and those were always totally
> friendly. I used to see him often at Portland and he used to stop by some
> evenings to sit at the AT campfire for a while. Those visits were always
> friendly as far as I recall.
> A number of years ago I was able to be in TN visiting one of our daughters
> who then lived quite close to the Smokies and timed it to include a visit
> to the tractor show at Ashville NC. That gave me a chance to meet Charlie
> Hill in person. I knew that  Charlie was planning to be there. While at
> that show I spotted Dave tending his display there. He was doing what Dave
> did best, he was answering questions and trying to educate people about his
> engines. His drive to educate is what I choose to remember of him. When I
> walked up to him he grabbed my hand and about shook it off. We had a very
> nice visit.
> RIP...
> 
> 
> .
> 
> On Fri, Nov 10, 2017 at 2:58 AM, Dean VP <deanvp at att.net> wrote:
> 
> > There were times when Dave actually made me very angry but over the years I
> > learned to understand him better. Only one time I called him on something
> > that had hit a sore spot for me and when I brought it privately to his
> > attention he immediately apologized.  I gained a lot of respect for him on
> > this issue. But after awhile I thought I was starting to understand him as
> > an educator who would make off the wall statements to generate a fruitful
> > discussion.  But as soon as I started thinking I had him figured out ....
> > BOOM,  I was totally confused again and quite often upset about something.
> > .
> > My guess is he may have had to deal with ADHD issues in his life. IMHO, he
> > just didn't give a rats @ss about things he said. He just the dropped the
> > turd on the table to see what would happen next. He really enjoyed stirring
> > the pot.  I suspect I disagreed with him way more than I agreed with him
> > but
> > I will still miss him. As we now recognize there was way more under the
> > cover than what we realized. RIP Dave.
> >
> > Dean VP
> > Snohomish, WA 98290
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> > [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Spencer Yost
> > Sent: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 6:33 PM
> > To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> > Subject: Re: [AT] Dave Rotigel
> >
> > Yep Steve, Dave was always full of surprises.  I knew him well enough to
> > know he was a retired professor (in fact, after one of our charity auctions
> > years ago he asked that we donate $250 to the alumni scholarship fund in
> > Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which I did).
> >
> > But as always, he continued to surprise me in death.  I am absolutely
> > positive I did not know he served in the military. Which he had to of to
> > get
> > a VFW honor guard for his burial.  In fact, I understand you don't get that
> > from just simply being in the military. Steve Sewell indicated you had to
> > serve overseas, and I've even heard from others that even that was not
> > enough; that you  had a serve in  a theater of war.  Not sure but it's an
> > insignificant point as the real point is he clearly treated his service
> > with
> > the humility and respect it deserved.
> >
> > He will be missed and proof positive you can't judge a book by its cover.
> > He was no saint but he was no sinner either; contrary to  the occasional
> > popular opinion.
> >
> > I second Steve's send off:   God speed, Dave
> >
> > Spencer Yost
> >
> > > On Nov 8, 2017, at 3:47 PM, Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Godspeed, Dave.
> > >
> > > Much of what Spencer and others have already said echoes my own thoughts.
> > > Dave was a unique individual, one who never feared stirring the pot.
> > > I met him on my trips to Portland back in the 1990's where he was an
> > > important fixture at the campfire.  I must admit my surprise in reading
> > his
> > > obituary.   I never realized he was a PhD and a career professor in the
> > > field of Education.
> > >
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Steve O.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >> On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 10:50 AM, Spencer Yost <yostsw at atis.net> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> I need to relay some sad news:  Dave Rotigel, a long time SEL and AT
> > >> list member (one of the original) and very ardent supporter of ATIS
> > >> in general, passed away Monday from cancer.  He was 79.
> > >>
> > >> Many of you know Dave Rotigel from the engine and tractor shows -
> > >> particularly Portland.  Even those of you that don't know him
> > >> personally; you know him from the posts he made here on AT and SEL.
> > >> Always shocking, always irreverent, Dave was nonetheless smart,
> > >> funny, dependable, honest, and insightful.  We saw eye to eye on
> > >> nearly nothing yet I always looked forward to seeing him and I
> > >> considered him a friend.  His engines and tractors were always some
> > >> of the best examples of restoration and his big Galloway engine is
> > >> nearly legendary.  I envied his knowledge and abilities and I wish I
> > >> had half his competence and acumen.  He was an integral part of the
> > >> "Great West Virginia and Pennsylvania Oil Field Engine Hunt" - the one
> > where I found my 25HP Ball oilfield engine - and was a big part of the
> > >> later excavator extraction of said engine.   He helped me get it running
> > >> and was instrumental in that restoration's success.
> > >>
> > >> His last post to this list, just a few weeks ago was:  "Life is good."
> > >>
> > >> Indeed Dave.  Thanks for the memories.
> > >>
> > >> His wife passed along his obituary and I include it below; I think it
> > was
> > >> published this morning and you can probably catch it online too.   Brice
> > >> will be making the announcement to the engine list and will formulate
> > >> a group/ATIS plan for flowers or a donation.  No instructions are In
> > >> the obituary but we are reaching out to a close friend of his to see
> > >> if there is anything the family would prefer.
> > >>
> > >> My condolences to his hundreds of other friends on both lists.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Spencer Yost
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Dr. David Emery Rotigel, 79, of Bonita Springs, Fla., formerly of
> > >> Greensburg, Pa. and Indiana, Pa., died Monday, November 6, 2017.  He
> > >> was born November 10, 1937, in Detroit, Mich., son of the late Joseph
> > >> and Fern M. Emery Rotigel.
> > >>
> > >> He was married to Jennifer Vickers Rotigel of Greensburg PA on
> > >> November 14th, 1981, and they had 36 wonderful years together that
> > >> included raising
> > >> 6 children. Dave enjoyed living in the country and was an avid
> > >> gardener, house builder, hunter, woodworker, and lover of all things
> > mechanical.
> > >>
> > >> Dave received his doctoral degree in Philosophy of Education from the
> > >> University of Illinois. He served as a professor for 39 years, first
> > >> at the University of Indiana and subsequently at Indiana University
> > >> of Pennsylvania. He was chair of the Foundations of Education
> > >> Department and Coordinator of the Langley/IUP Urban Teaching Center
> > >> in Pittsburgh, PA. He was an active professional and made many
> > >> presentations and published many professional articles. Dave was a
> > >> gifted educator and enjoyed mentoring novice teachers.
> > >>
> > >> Dave was a loving husband and father who was very involved with his
> > >> children and their activities. He served as Packmaster of Cub Scout
> > >> Troup
> > >> 212 in Delmont for a number of years and coached his sons' dek hockey
> > >> and baseball teams. He was also active in the Pennsylvania
> > >> Association for Gifted Education.
> > >>
> > >> An active member of the Fort Allen Antique Farm Equipment
> > >> Association, he enjoyed repairing and restoring antique farm
> > >> equipment, especially Hit and Miss Engines. He loved attending engine
> > >> shows all over the country and showing his many engines and tractors.
> > >> Dave was widely sought for his expertise and experience and was
> > >> instrumental in several large projects to preserve the historical
> > >> nature of the equipment he loved. Dave was internationally known and
> > >> kept in touch with his engine friends around the world.
> > >>
> > >> He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Vickers Rotigel of Bonita
> > >> Springs, Fl.; children: Seely Emery (Tammy) Rotigel of Kalamazoo,
> > >> Mich., David John
> > >> (Misty) Rotigel, of York, Pa., Todd Michael (Tina O'Hara) Rotigel, of
> > Mt.
> > >> Pulaski, Ill., Pedro Martin (Marisa) Bidegaray, of Miami, Fla.,
> > >> Daniel Leslie (Brigid) Rotigel, of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Michael
> > >> Steven Rotigel, of N. Fort Myers, Fla.; a granddaughter, Sydney
> > >> Rotigel-Finegan, and a grandson, Pedro Julian Bidegaray.
> > >>
> > >> Family and friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m.
> > >> Friday, November 10th at BARNHART FUNERAL HOME, 505 E. Pittsburgh
> > >> St., Greensburg, Pa.  A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m.
> > >> Saturday in the funeral home.  Entombment with full military honors
> > >> accorded by the VFW Post 33, will follow at St. Clair Cemetery,
> > >> Greensburg, Pa.  For online condolences, visit BarnhartFuneralHome.com.
> > >>
> > >>
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> 
> 
> -- 
> -- 
> 
> Francis Robinson
> aka "farmer"
> Central Indiana USA
> robinson46176 at gmail.com
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