Professor Roger William Little was a legendary figure at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and hundreds of students packed into the popular lecturer’s classes to learn about a very serious topic: the birds and the bees.
“Before Dr. Ruth … he was teaching a course on the sociology of sexual behavior,” said Bill Bridges, a fellow UIC sociology professor and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. “He was approaching this topic in a scientific way, in an academically responsible way. Yet it was clearly material that the students were very interested in.”
Mr. Little, 83, a longtime sociology professor at UIC and a decorated Army veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal, died of complications from pneumonia Thursday, Nov. 10, in Evanston Hospital.
Born the third of eight children Feb. 3, 1922, in Moose Lake, Minn., Mr. Little followed the lead of other siblings and joined the military after high school. Mr. Little and his three brothers and one sister served in the military.
He enlisted in the Army in 1940 and was part of the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Mr. Little served in General Patton’s Third Army in Europe until he was injured in Trier, Germany, where he suffered shrapnel wounds from mortar fire in his arms and legs, family members said.
“He was a country boy off the farm,” said his son, Tom. “He came from a large Irish family, and they all joined the service to get off the farm. Remarkably, none of them were killed in the war.”
After he recovered from his wounds, Mr. Little went to Harvard and received a bachelor’s degree in sociology. From there he went to the University of Chicago to receive a master’s degree in sociology. In 1948, he met fellow student Irmgard Schmidtmann, who became his wife of 56 years. With few job prospects, Mr. Little decided to re-enlist in the military, this time serving as a medic. He integrated his passions for academia and the military. As a Ph.D. student at what is now Michigan State University in East Lansing, he wrote his thesis “A Study of the Relationship between Combat Role Behavior and Participation in Small Groups,” while on the front lines in the Korean War.
Mr. Little and his wife raised their four children at various locales including Germany, Houston, California and Baltimore. In 1966, the family settled in Wilmette after Mr. Little retired from the military and accepted an associate professorship at UIC.
During his career, Mr. Little received the Silver Circle Award for Excellence in Teaching six times, an honor bestowed by graduating seniors, said UIC spokesman Brian Flood. At home, Mr. Little inspired impassioned talks at the dinner table, said his daughter Anne.
“We had fascinating conversations,” Anne said. “We talked about current events and what we were reading. That’s one thing he gave to all his children, a great appreciation of literature and a desire to read.”
Mr. Little also enjoyed traveling and going to the theater with his wife. After his wife suffered a series of strokes five years ago, he served as her primary caretaker, said his daughter Mary O’Brien. His wife died in July.
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“They traveled a lot when they were both well. They used to have a big bucket full of poker chips and put destinations on them,” his daughter said. “They would just grab them, and they’d make plans.”
Several years ago, when the movie “Saving Private Ryan” premiered, Mr. Little refused to watch it, his son said. For Mr. Little, war was about the buddy system, helping out friends.
“It wasn’t the cause. It was the buddies,” his son said. “You fought for each other and not for the cause.”
Besides his three children, other survivors include another daughter, Erica Schroederus; two brothers, Terence and John; three sisters, Eileen Dalton, Joyce Erickson and Joan Dietch; and five grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in the spring.
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