The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh lost two long-time, dedicated campus community members in the passing of former Radio-TV-Film associated director Dwight Poppy and College of Education (COEHS) and Human Services Professor Emeritus John Check this month.

Poppy, 77, died on June 16 at Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah. He was hired in 1981 as an assistant engineer at the UW Oshkosh TV studio after a previous 22-year career at the Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago. In 1986, the position was changed to academic staff with a new title “associate director.” Poppy retired in 2003 with the title of Associate Director in RTF in the Speech Department. He developed patents in radio and television technology for Zenith and was an electrical engineer grad from UW-Madison.

Check, Ph.D., 91, died June 5 at the Sanford Medical Center in Vermillion, South Dakota. He earned his doctorate from UW-Madison. He was hired by UW Oshkosh in 1966 as a professor and went on to serve as acting chair of the educational psychology department in today’s COEHS. Check retired from UW Oshkosh in 1986 and was appointed Professor Emeritus in the COEHS. He continued to serve the university in several staff teaching roles.

According to his obituary, funeral services for Poppy will be at 10:30 am on Saturday, June 22 at the Wieting Family Funeral Home, 411 W. Main St., in Chilton. Burial will follow in the Portland Cemetery. Friends may call at the Wieting Family Funeral Home from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, June 21 and on Saturday at the funeral home from 10 am until the 10:30 a.m. service.

Check’s funeral mass was held at St. Agnes Church in Vermillion on Monday, June 10, his obituary states. A funeral mass was held in Oshkosh at St. Raphael’s Church on June 13 with burial in Sacred Heart Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations are made to St. Agnes or St. Raphael’s Church.