The Passing of Dr. Kenneth E. Batker

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Kenneth E. Batker, a retired professor whose decades of community service, environmental stewardship, and advocacy for students shaped PLU for more than 30 years. He passed away on November 18th at the age of 93. He was a professor of mathematics, mathematics education, and the history of science and was active in the National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics, PLU faculty governance, and the formation of the mathematics department at PLU. A master teacher, Ken remembered and supported his students long after his retirement in 1999.

PLU Professor of Math Daniel Heath says Ken was already retired from teaching when they first met, and it was a shared passion for environmental conservation that fueled their friendship. “I really got to know him when my wife and I applied for the caretaker position at the Morse Wildlife Preserve. When I went to interview for the position, it was Ken who showed the property to us, giving us a tour and also explaining the difficulties we’d have to deal with as its caretakers. We held that position for seven years, serving alongside Ken the entire time. His no-nonsense leadership kept things running smoothly.”

Ken was part of the group of emeriti faculty who were instrumental in saving numerous natural areas, including Clover Creek Conservation Area, Morse Wildlife Preserve, Maxine G. Morse Nature Conservancy, Snake Lake Nature Center, the Carbon River Conservation Area, Nisqually State Park, and Parkland Prairie Nature Reserve.

Professor emeritus Celine Dorner recalls Ken’s care for the math faculty. She says, “Ken set the tone of care for each other. The entire math faculty showed up to help my husband and me move into our new home on a Saturday afternoon when we first got here. Ken and his wife Nell had a baby shower for me when my son was born. The department always had a beginning-of-the-school-year gathering at a faculty member’s home. There was also a gathering of faculty members and their families around Christmas time every year. Ken was instrumental in fostering this care for each other. It continues to this day.”

“Ken’s persona was woven into the fabric of the Division (now College) of Natural Sciences,” says Professor Craig Fryhle of the chemistry department. “From my earliest years at PLU, I remember Ken’s strong voice and broad, welcoming smile as we gathered in a tight classroom of Rieke Science Center for our lunchtime division meetings. Sometimes we had weighty or even controversial matters of policy to discuss. This is when Ken’s clear voice would come through the most. Ken was always about ‘the people’s business’. ‘How would this plan or that policy affect the lives of students and faculty? Would they have an equal voice — a say in how it was crafted and implemented? Would there be means to express concerns and avenues of redress if something was not right?’ Ken would champion any good idea that served the rank and file and that furthered our endeavors as a community of scholars and eager students — all of this with the pervasive thread of his usual smile and constructive, helpful outlook.”

Ken’s beloved Nell, an active member of the PLU and local environmental conservation communities for decades, passed away on May 10, 2024. He is survived by his children and grandchildren.