WOU Repository

Roben John Maaske was born in Bertrand, Nebraska in October of 1903 and attended University of Nebraska, University of Oregon, and University of Minnesota. His first teaching job was in a one-room schoolhouse in Urbana, Nebraska in 1922. Maaske was president of the Department of the American Association for the Advancement of Social and Political Science from 1942 to 1945 and professor of school administration at the University of North Carolina prior to his presidency at Eastern Oregon College of Education.

Maaske's tenure at Oregon College of Education (OCE) was a time of change and growth for the school. Physical changes to the campus during his presidency include completing the construction of the new library (now Academic Programs Service Center), construction of the Wolverton Swimming Pool in Old PE, started construction of the first men's dorm (now known as Maaske Hall), and acquired land for future school expansion. A dedicated and tireless worker, Maaske expected the same from those around him. He authored more than 130 booklets, brochures, and articles during his lifetime. Maaske was a member of many professional and non-professional groups, and was an active member in the Presbyterian Church. In 1953, he was sent to Turkey at the request of the Turkish Ministry of Education. Roben John Maaske died suddenly of a heart attack at his desk in his OCE office on February 19, 1955.