Maurice Verbeke

raveling abroad inspired Maurice Verbeke to find out where he came from.
“My family is from Belgium, so my interest came from visiting the homeland,” he said.

He journeyed to Brussels and Inglemunster with only a few addresses and tracked down an aunt who took him to see other relatives on both sides of his family. He had never learned Flemish, but two of his cousins spoke English and translated for Verbeke and his wife.

He has since written three family histories, as well as his autobiography, Farmboy to College Professor. “There aren’t many copies,” Verbeke added. “I only had it published for family and friends.”

Verbeke’s autobiography describes how his love of teaching led him to become a professor at Rowan in 1967. He served as the first chair of Educational Administration and retired as Professor Emeritus in 1987.

When he is not busy writing or traveling abroad Verbeke and his wife Rhama Pope enjoy visiting family and friends in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Texas.

The couple also spends most of the winter in Florida, where Verbeke gets together with Stanley Cohen and Mario Tomei, fellow Rowan retirees. He said, “We have a little reunion and tell stories about each other.”

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