Arthur Hove

Madison - Arthur O. Hove died on December 9th, 2014 at Capitol Lakes Health Center. He suffered from a rare neuromuscular disease, primary lateral sclerosis.

Art was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 21, 1934, to Hazel and Arthur Hove and raised both there and in Sioux City, Iowa. Art's lifelong commitment to the University of Wisconsin took root during the summers he spent with his aunts in Stoughton. So eager was he to attend the UW that he applied for admission as a high school sophomore, and from then on his dedication to the University never faltered.

After earning a B.A. in English, Art served in the U.S. Army but soon returned to the UW to serve as editor of the Wisconsin Alumnus, while also earning an M.A. in English. In 1967 he was hired as a project specialist in the office of UW President Fred Harvey Harrington and then became assistant to the UW Vice-President. From 1970 to 1989 he served as assistant to several UW chancellors while also acting as director of the Office of Public Information. From 1989 to 1996 he served as special assistant to the provost, working in communications, fund administration, commencement, public records and special assignments. Following his workday, Art taught various late-afternoon courses as a lecturer in the UW-Madison School of Business, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Department of Art.

Art also wrote and edited throughout his career. Three of his published books focus on UW-Madison history: The University of Wisconsin: A Pictorial History; The First Fifteen Years: University Research Park, 1984-1999; and Progressive Printmakers: Wisconsin Artists and the Print Renaissance (co-authored with Warrington Colescott). From 1973 to 1986 he contributed quarterly essays to the Wisconsin Academy Review. In 1979 a series of his essays was broadcast on the "Wisconsin Hear and Now" program carried over the State Radio Network.

In 1992 Art received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UW Alumni Association. He also served in various leadership capacities for civic and charitable organizations: the United Madison Community Foundation Board of Governors, Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries, the State Employees Combined Campaign, the First Unitarian Society of Madison, West Side Swim Club, the Madison Civic Music Association and the UW Retirement Association. He was a member of the Madison-Oslo (Norway) Sister City Committee, the Wisconsin Alumni Association, and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. During his retirement, he edited the Tandem Press Newsletter and served on the UW Campus Design Review Board.

A sacred time for Art was the lunch hour with his running buddies, a closely-knit group whose company he enjoyed for more than forty years. Every weekday, season after season, they would jog and converse amid the scenery of Picnic Point, Shorewood, and the Arboretum.

Art is survived by his wife, Norma, and sons James (Chikako) of Maibara, Japan; William (Stephanie & grandchildren Henry and Olivia) of Oconomowoc, WI; and Thomas (Hye-Jin) of Seoul, South Korea.

Art's family would like to thank his many friends who so loyally visited him during his illness. For attentive medical and personal care, they would like to thank Dr. Paul Nemovitz and his staff; Dr. Douglas Kutz; the entire staff of Capitol Lakes Third Floor Skilled Nursing Center; and his Hospice Care team, Abbey, Erica, Dan and Jo.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 27th, 2014 at the First Unitarian Society of Madison (900 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI 53705). A reception will follow the service.

Contributions may be made in Art's memory to: Agrace Hospice Care, 4395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 or Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, P.O. Box 55056, Madison, WI 53705.