Marion Doss

On July13, 2001, the JMU Department of Political Science and the extended university community lost a truly wonderful professor with the death of Dr. Marion Doss.

Extremely intelligent and always ready to tell interesting stories from his own experiences, Doss was a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who also earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard along with juris doctor and master degrees in law and taxation from William and Mary.

I learned a lot about criminal justice in his classes. His lectures were informative and supplemented with projects like attending local court hearings to broaden the scope of our learning. Students could always count on him when they needed help beyond the classroom, and he unselfishly gave of his time to serve as the faculty adviser for the JMU criminal justice fraternity Lambda Alpha Epsilon.

I may not remember every criminal law statute or all the textbook knowledge Dr. Doss taught me; however, I will, never forget the life lessons I learned from him, and I will always be thankful for his approach to helping students and encouraging them to think for themselves. No matter whether in or out of the classroom, students always knew they could count on him when they needed help.

While Dr. Doss was not one to impose his personal opinions on students, he did, however, always encourage students to think for themselves. At times, he also went out of his way to help his students. A good example of that was when I was trying to decide which field in which to pursue my master’s degree. Dr. Doss not only came in to help me decide, he also wrote letters of recommendation for me.

Now, I am in a wonderful criminal justice program at Eastern Kentucky University, yet I never would have found this place without Dr. Doss’ direction and support. I am very appreciative for everything I have learned from him, and I know he will be greatly missed.

Chechen school named for Marion Doss

By Nancy Bondurant Jones

Few people have schools named in their honor, yet the Marion Doss Shkola is becoming a reality across the world in Chechnya through the William R. Nelson Institute at James Madison University. Private donations to renovate a school shelled and burned out in past fighting between Russian soldiers and Chechen rebels led to the school's name.

"While his efforts may be measured in terms of research, teaching and service, his greatest contributions were his absolute honesty, compassion and wisdom." —JMU professor Steven Bowers

A JMU political science professor, Marion Doss was preparing for fall classes and making plans for a visit to Chechnya when a sudden diagnosis of lymphoma put everything on temporary hold. Unexpectedly however, the hold became permanent when Doss died just 10 days after being diagnosed.

As associate director of the Nelson Institute, Doss concentrated his time and energy on the institute's humanitarian projects. One drive led to lifesaving brain surgery for a young Moldovan girl. In another, his efforts helped provide a furnace for a group home in Gagauzia to aid elderly adults during their country’s traumatic post-communist transition. Most recently, Doss took the lead in a campaign to reopen a small school that will serve several villages.

In recognition of Doss’ work, the restored school will be named in his honor. His colleague, JMU professor Steven Bowers, calls him “a centurion-scholar, a man who served [both] his country and the teaching profession.” Bowers has dedicated a book to Doss that the two recently completed on the great transitional process in Eastern Europe. Doss says, "His passing leaves a tremendous gap not only in our work but also in our hearts. While his efforts may be measured in terms of research, teaching and service, his greatest contributions were his absolute honesty, compassion and wisdom."

Students on both sides of the Atlantic will continue to benefit from programs he supported, programs that carry his name and promises of education into the next generation.