Dr. Bill Ogden

William Russell “Bill” Ogden was born November 20, 1937 in Niagara Falls, New York to Russell William Ogden and Florence Elizabeth Walker Ogden. He married Nancy Lee Harvey on April 22, 1970, in Galena, Illinois. Bill earned Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Education from then Buffalo State Teacher’s College, a Master of Science, as a Fellow of the National Science Foundation, from Syracuse University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin, where he was supported as a United States Office of Education Research Fellow.

Bill was a junior high science teacher and high school chemistry teacher and department chair over a nine-year span in Niagara Falls, New York. He came to then East Texas State University as an assistant professor of Secondary and Higher Education in the fall of 1972. While working his way up the academic ladder through associate to full professor he served as External Grants Coordinator, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, Director of Faculty Development, and Head of Secondary and Higher Education.

Dr. Ogden introduced the first doctoral candidate at the first doctoral reception, hooded the first doctoral recipient when that practice was instituted, and was major advisor to the first doctoral recipient of the newly named Texas A&M University-Commerce. Bill has held memberships in Kappa Delta Pi, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, National Science Teachers Association, School Science and Mathematics Association, Science Teachers Association of Texas, and Phi Delta Kappa. He has given hundreds of presentations and published over 70 articles. Honors include Alpha Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi, ETSU’s 1987-88 TACT Distinguished Teaching Award, and a 1999 NISOD Excellence Award. From November of 1983 through August of 2012 he served in a volunteer capacity as Sunday night host of KETR’s “Bluegrass Special.”

Family members include his wife, Nancy; a daughter, Danata Wright and son-in-law, Kerry Wright of Greenville; two sons, Russell Ogden and daughter-in-law Karen (Weiss) Ogden of Lewisburg, North Carolina; and James Ogden and Katie (Baney) Ogden of Highland Park, Texas. Grandchildren include Karlee Wright, Kaleb Wright, Zachary, Samantha, Michael, Griffian and Skylar Ogden.