Dale Victor Springer

Dale V. Springer died on Sunday, August 30, with Dawn, his wife of more than 63 years, and their daughter, Merril, by his side.

Born in Lansing, MI, Dale was the son of Maxine and Cecil Springer, and older brother to Ron Springer. The Springer boys loved football, each playing for Everett High School. Before attending Albion College, Dale was selected by the American Red Cross as a U.S. youth ambassador to Europe. It was his first introduction to world travel, a passion which he continued to explore throughout his life.

Dale was proud to be a scholar-athlete, earning academic scholarships and honors at Albion College, including the Sloan Scholarship, the University of Michigan Honor Trophy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship, Athletics and Leadership, and the Lansing Elks Leadership Award. He was also a key member of Albion’s football team, the Britons, playing offensive guard and defensive linebacker all four years. As co-captain in 1961, he helped lead the team to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. The accomplishment, and the team’s 2001 induction into the Albion Hall of Fame, filled the typically self-effacing Dale with unmistakable pride and inevitably brought a broad smile to his face. He was also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, the source of cherished lifelong friendships.

After graduating from Albion, Dale received an academic scholarship to the University of Chicago Law School. While there, he served as an officer of the Student Legal Aid Association. In 1962, he married his college sweetheart, Dawn Ellen Janke, who joined him in Chicago. After law school, the couple moved to New York City, where Dale began his legal career on Wall Street in 1965. His commitment to serving others soon led him to Mobilization for Youth on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, then to the city’s Human Resources Administration and the Abuse and Neglect Unit of the New York City Department of Social Services. In 1972, Dale earned a Master of Laws degree from New York University School of Law in urban affairs and poverty law. He returned to his hometown in 1974, so Dawn could complete medical school at Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine. As an administrative law judge for the Michigan Department of Social Services, he heard cases on appeal to ensure Michiganders received the benefits to which they were entitled.

Dale’s love of learning was lifelong. Intensely curious, he thoroughly enjoyed reading, especially current affairs, and was an ardent patron of PBS and NPR. He relished engaging in friendly political debate, as he was genuinely interested in how other people saw the world. He had a gift for making others feel heard, seen and valued.

Dale also loved music, especially classical music, and lit up whenever he had the chance to sing. He inherited his mother’s beautiful voice and, after retirement, enjoyed singing with the Earl Nelson Singers in Lansing and the Harbor Voices in Elk Rapids, MI.

Above all, Dale was devoted to his family. Dawn’s busy medical career meant Dale played a central role in caring for Merril, and father and daughter formed an early bond that only deepened over time. The former football player took special pride in joining his daughter’s dance troupe performances, even starring as Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker.

Dale and Dawn recently relocated to Alexandria, VA, to be closer to Merril. True to form, Dale embraced his new community and the area’s attractions with enthusiasm, seeing the move as a welcome new adventure.

In addition to Dawn and Merril, Dale is survived by his brother Ron's children, Julie Springer Margolis and Ron Springer, both of whom live in Massachusetts, along with their children.

The family plans to celebrate Dale’s life in October at their lake house in northern Michigan, a place close to his heart that he called “God’s country.” In lieu of flowers, the family notes that Dale would be most honored by a gift to WKAR, public media from Michigan State University, or to your local PBS or public radio station.

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