Daniel M Ogden, Jr., first child of Daniel Miller Ogden and Mary Maphis Ogden, was born in Clarksburg, WV, on April 28, 1922. He passed Feb. 7. At the age of 7, he moved to Spokane, WA. Dan graduated valedictorian from Lewis and Clark High School in 1940 and attended Washington State University, graduating in absentia in 1944 with highest honors, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Dan joined ROTC at WSU, and from 1943 to 1946, saw active duty with the 89th Infantry Division in France and Germany.
He married the love of his life, Valeria Munson, on Dec. 28, 1946, in Spokane, WA. Together they traveled to Illinois where Dan attended the University of Chicago, receiving his M.A. and PhD. In 1949, they returned to Pullman where Dan was associate professor of Political Science at WSU. Their three children, Jan, Patti and Dan, were born in Pullman.
Dan was awarded the Faculty Fellowship with the Democratic National Committee in 1960, where he was an advance man for John F. Kennedy.
In 1961, Dan and his family moved to Washington D.C., where Dan worked for the Department of Interior in several different capacities, ending his career there as Director of the Budget. He was especially proud to have been instrumental in the enactment of the National Trails System Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, North Cascades National Park and the Redwoods National Park.
In 1968, he accepted the position of Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Colorado State University. In 1978, Dan and Val moved again to Washington D.C., where he was appointed director of the Office of Power Marketing Coordination for the Department of Energy. In 1984, Dan and Val moved to Vancouver, WA, after Dan retired from federal service, and became manager of the Public Power Council. They lived in Vancouver for the rest of their lives where they were greatly involved in the community they loved.
Dan and Val loved to travel and they visited countries on every continent except Antarctica. They especially enjoyed cruising on the rivers of Europe. In 2006, they took their entire family on a cruise up the Seine from LaHavre to Paris, France.
Surviving family members are his children, Jan and Jeff Martin; Patti and Brad Hunter; Dan and Carrol Ogden; grandchildren, Thomas; Hilary; Emily, David; Chris and Nicole; 10 great-grandchildren; two nieces and four nephews.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, C. Robert Ogden and his wife Margot; and Dan’s beloved wife, Val.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Home Instead for their loving care of Dan since Val’s death in 2014.
A memorial service will be held for Dan at 2 p.m. on Sat., March 24, at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver. Memorials may be made to the Dan and Val Ogden Endowed Fellowship in Public Affairs at WSU Vancouver.
Sign guest book.
