Allen E. Koenig

Dr. Allen E. Koenig, 1939-20 of Dublin, Ohio passed away on August 28, 2012. He is survived by his spouse Judy Gill Koenig and three children: Wendy L. Koenig, J.D. (Greg Tomczyk), Hinesburg, VT; Jody Koenig Kellas, Ph.D. (Jeremy Kellas and grandchildren Hannah and Jackson), Lincoln, NE; and Mark Allen Koenig, M.Ed. (Brad Lucas), Columbus, OH. Allen met his wife Judy when he was an assistant professor of communication at The Ohio State University. They were married in Columbus in 1969. Born in Los Angeles, California, Allen received degrees in communication/mass communication from the University of Southern California (B.A.), 1961, Stanford University (M.A.), 1962, and Northwestern University (Ph.D.), 1964. He graduated from Loyola High School, Los Angeles in 1957. Dr. Koenig served as president and professor of mass communication of Emerson College (Boston, MA) from 1979-1989 and president of Chapman University (Orange, CA) from 1989-1991. In 1992, Allen co-founded the Registry for College and University Presidents and served for many years as its Vice Chair, and in 2012 he became Co-Founding Director and Vice Chairman Emeritus of the Registry. The Registry is the nation’s premier organization for placement of interim presidents and senior officers and has a membership of over 300 past presidents and senior academic administrators.Dr. Koenig joined the executive search firm of R. H. Perry & Associates in 1993 as partner-in-charge of its higher education practice. During his 19 years with the firm, he conducted over 200 presidential searches and interim placements. He led an equal number of higher education vice presidential and dean searches. At age 73, he retired. Dr. Koenig had a distinguished record as author of a number of journal articles and edited books on subjects in mass communication and higher education. In 2004, he co-authored with Dr. Thomas H. Langevin (co-founder of the Registry) a chapter in Presidential Transition in Higher Education – Managing Leadership Change (Johns Hopkins University Press). He co-edited one of the first books on educational television in the United States, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. The Press also published his edited book on labor relations in radio and television – the first such book in North America. Dr. Koenig has received a number of awards. He was named “One of Ten Outstanding Citizens of Massachusetts” in 1989. The American Arbitration Association in New York City honored Allen for his book on labor relations in the broadcasting industry. He also received a Presidential Emmy from the Boston/New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and he has been cited in Who’s Who in America since the early 1980s. Allen was appointed a director on corporate boards in the banking and higher education software industries as well as a trustee of several college and university governing boards. A funeral mass will celebrated at Saint Peter Church, 6899 Smoky Row Rd., Columbus on Saturday September 1, 2012 at 10 A.M. Calling hours at Schoedinger Funeral Service, 6699 N. High St., Worthington, OH are from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Friday. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (http://www.pancan.org/) or The Hospice Foundation of America (www.hospicefoundation.org).