Born in 1941 at home in Cheltenham, PA. Died July 28, 2023 in Hockessin, DE
Born to Anna Margarita Julia Schweikle and Walter Brucker.
Predeceased by his parents, brothers Paul and Walter Brucker II and sister Pauline.
Survived by wife, Sharon Bowerman Brucker, children, Matthew Eric Brucker (Debra Frederick), Mark Daniel Brucker (Jenny Edinger) and Jennifer J. Brucker. Grandchildren: Mackinley, Daniel, Theodore, Benjamin Eric, Lucy, and Finnegan.
Eric graduated from Central Bucks Highschool, Doylestown, PA and earned a B.A. degree in economics at the University of Delaware and a PhD in economics from Duke University in 1965. He spent his career as an educator at six universities. He taught economics, served as chair of the economics department, Business School dean, and Vice President for Academic Affairs. His longest term of service was at the University of Delaware (1970-1989).
Eric had a talent for identifying a department or school’s shared vision, empowering them to build better programs. Under his leadership, two business schools earned accreditation at the national level. At the University of Michigan-Dearborn, his team supervised the construction of a new building. Often the new programs included previously under-utilized or under-appreciated groups. For example, when introducing the first computer lab in the business school at the University of Delaware, he discovered, to his delight, that the secretarial staff (mostly female) could teach the faculty (mostly male) how to use WordPerfect. He enthusiastically helped create a summer reading program with discussion groups in the fall. Both faculty and staff led discussions with students – an innovation appreciated by staff who felt included and who brought different perspectives. When participating in a Keizai Koho program in Japan, he often encouraged their leaders to deal with their labor shortage by tapping into the “other” half of their population – the women.
At Dearborn, his team developed a program (Partner’s Plus) to support and incentivize under-represented students from Detroit’s community colleges to continue their education and earn bachelor’s degree. At the University of Maine, he worked with U.S. Secretary of State, William Cohen, to establish a Center for International engagement. After he retired as Dean at Widener University, he was awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania legislature to survey and report on Elder Health and Wellbeing in the state. He later shared the results of this research with the AARP.
Eric’s greatest joy was teaching. He always taught a course, even when busy as a dean, and delighted in hearing from former students. He developed a course for Dean’s scholars, a small class thinking about big issues and gathering informally, often at his home. After retirement he continued to teach, first at UD and then at OLLI – the lifelong learning program at the University of Delaware.
Eric was a devoted UD alumnus, a lifelong Phillies fan and an avid Duke basketball fan. He was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. He enjoyed building model ships and reading widely. His best friendships were developed working with colleagues at universities and sharing ideas with book discussion groups. Over his life he developed an expansive interest in the writing and thought of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and later in life the writing of current theologians Marcus Borg, Peter Gomes, Barbara Taylor Brown and Richard Rohr.
Eric met his wife at Duke and they discovered a shared interest in Niebuhr and Duke basketball. They married in 1965 and shared those interests throughout their 58 year marriage – even naming one dog Niebuhr. Over their life Eric and Sharon took joy and pride in their three children and six grandchildren. Together they established homes and friends in Durham, NC, Carbondale, IL; Newark and Hockessin, DE; Ewing, NJ; Plymouth, MI; Bangor, ME; and Aston, PA.
There will be a memorial service on Wednesday August 16, 2023 at 11:00 at the Hockessin United Methodist Church, 7250 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707. There will be time for visitation with the family before the service from 10:00 – 11:00 A.M.. The service will be followed immediately by a reception at Cokesbury Village, 726 Loveville Rd, Hockessin.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to: Brucker Scholarship in Economics, University of Delaware, Development and Alumni Relations, 83 East Main St., Newark, DE 19716-2128 or American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852(KidneyFund.org).
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