Obituary of Eugene H. Melan

Eugene H. Melan Eugene H. Melan, a resident of the Town of Poughkeepsie, entered into rest Thursday, February 24, 2011 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. He was 84. Born on June 26, 1926 in Manhattan to the late Harry and Martha Omelanuk, Gene grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, Flushing, Queens and Brooklyn. He attended grammar school in Brooklyn and later Flushing, Queens. He graduated from high school in Bayside. Gene then joined the United States Navy. He was taught radar and sonar which the fleet was just being equipped with. He was honorably discharged after a tour in China. After returning home, Gene went on to study at Brooklyn Polytechnic, Syracuse University, and received his B.A. from New York University. He continued his education at Columbia University and back to NYU, where he received his M.S. in 1954. Gene began his career with IBM in September 1954. As IBM grew, he was promoted into management and was responsible for operations in England, France and Germany. Near the end of his career with IBM he managed departments for computer reliability in Poughkeepsie and Kingston. It was at this time that he became interested in teaching. Gene taught business courses at Marist College in Poughkeepsie to undergraduate and graduate students. He was promoted to distinguished professor and an emeritus professor of business. He retired from Marist in 2005. Gene had received another M.S. from Union College in 1971 and after writing a doctoral thesis of over 300 pages; he received his Ph.D. in 2004 from Lancaster University. During his time at IBM and his teaching career, Gene authored over 20 technical papers and two books. He was responsible for six patents. His professional society memberships included Sigma Xi, Fellow of American Society of Quality, STS Roundtable, United Kingdom Systems Society and Systems Dynamics Society. Gene is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Melan of Poughkeepsie who he married October 19, 1975; his sons, Robert Stevens and his wife, Donna of Rhinebeck and Scott Stevens of New York City and Connecticut; as well as his beloved second cousins. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at Straub, Catalano and Halvey Funeral Home, 55 East Main Street, Wappingers Falls. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 28 at St. Martin de Porres Church, Cedar Valley Road, Poughkeepsie. Entombment will follow in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, South Avenue, Poughkeepsie. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations on Gene's behalf may be made to Marist College, 3339 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Please put Professor Emeritus Melan on the memo line. For directions to the funeral home or to send a personal condolence, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.