Necrology

Otto Peter Badenhausen '54

Mar. 1, 1932-Oct. 13, 2022

Otto Peter Badenhausen ’54 died on Oct. 13, 2022, in Geneva, Ill. Born on Staten Island, N.Y., on March 1, 1932, he came to Hamilton from the Staten Island Academy. On the Hill, he majored in chemistry and German and was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.

Otto’s accomplishments outside of the classroom set him apart. In successive years he was elected to the Doers & Thinkers honor society, Was Los, and Pentagon. He was president of his class during his junior year. He played fullback on the soccer team throughout his time at Hamilton and basketball during his sophomore through senior years. Beginning in his second year, Otto was in the Block “H” Club and was its secretary as a junior. He was on the Student Council during his final two years and was active in promoting the Campus Fund as a junior. At the conclusion of his third year, he received the Duell German Prize Scholarship, awarded to a rising senior who excelled in the study of German and elected to take an advanced course in the subject in his final year.

As a senior, Otto served on the Honor Court, was president of the Interfraternity Council, and was the senior editor for The Hamiltonian. His numerous accomplishments were documented in both his junior and senior years in the reference work Who’s Who in American Colleges. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that at his Commencement he received the James Soper Merrill Prize, awarded to the member of the graduating class, “who, in character and influence, has best typified the highest ideals of the College.” He also graduated with honors in chemistry.

Otto confessed in his 50th reunion yearbook: “I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue after receiving my Hamilton degree. Fortunately, I was drafted into the Army. Also fortunately, we were not at war.” He was assigned to an intelligence unit stationed in East Berlin, a consequence, undoubtedly, of his mastery of German on the Hill. He noted that ”90% percent of U.S. intelligence during the Cold War came out of Berlin.” 

Having thus had the opportunity to examine Communism as it was “practiced” in East Germany, he developed an interest in history. Upon his discharge, Otto did not leave Berlin but instead studied for two years at Berlin’s Free University, earning a master’s degree in 1959. Returning to the U.S., he entered the doctorate program at Columbia University. By 1963, he had completed all required coursework and passed his comprehensive examinations, but he did not complete his dissertation. By then, he had joined the faculty of Upsala College in East Orange, N.J. 

In 1965, he accepted an appointment at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Jersey City, where, in the course of a 39-year career, he developed a curriculum in the humanities. On Sept. 23, 1992, he received the Van Houten Award for Teaching Excellence awarded by the NJIT Alumni Association, given to those instructors who made a lasting impression on the college experiences of the previous five graduating classes. In Otto’s case, it was the classes of 1988 through 1992. 

In the midst of his academic career, on Nov. 8, 1986, a cousin introduced Otto to La Thoriel Kraft, a vocational guidance counselor on Staten Island. A native of Minnesota, she had recently moved to the city from Upstate New York following the end of her marriage. Otto and La Thoriel clicked. He found her to be “a delightful woman of great charm and superior artistic talent.” Shortly after they started dating, however, she made it clear that her patience had a limit: either they would be married within six months or she would look elsewhere. One day after the six-month mark, they married on May 9, 1987. Otto, who had been a bachelor until then, wrote in his 50th reunion yearbook that, “I regret not having met La Thoriel sooner, but we are doing our best to catch up for lost time.” They made their home in Summit, N.J.

She was an artist, creating “face” portraits and working in fiber arts to create wall installations. She exhibited at several galleries and museums in the greater New York area. After Otto’s retirement, she continued her work. They regularly attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera, visited art museums, of which the Neue Galerie was a favorite, and traveled extensively. Otto also reported that he “was reading many of the books I should have read long ago.”

Sadly, Otto succumbed to dementia in his last years. La Thoriel’s sister, as well as nieces and nephews, wanted to help with his care. The couple moved to St. Charles, Ill., to be near her family, and that was where Otto died.

In 2004, looking back at his time on the Hill, Otto wrote in his 50th reunion yearbook: “The most significant impact Hamilton had on me was to convey the importance of a sound liberal arts education in developing truly well-rounded and educated individuals. The Hamilton honor system gave meaning to the principles of honesty, integrity, and responsibility.” Like many alumni, Otto placed great value on the public speaking requirement as well. He repaid these benefits as a regular donor to the Hamilton Fund.

Otto P. Badenhausen was predeceased by his younger brother, Michael D. Badenhausen ’63, and is survived by his older brother, Walter E. Badenhausen ’52, and his wife.

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