President Emeritus DuFresne with President Olson and President Krueger in 2012.
It is with great sadness that I inform you that WSU President Emeritus Robert A. DuFresne passed away Nov. 17, 2015.
Dr. DuFresne served as president of Winona State from 1967 to 1977. This was a period of great change for WSU. The campus nearly doubled in size, student enrollment grew significantly, and WSU earned full university status. Dr. DuFresne’s legacy was featured as part of WSU’s Living History Project in 2005. He is also the author of “Winona State University: A History of One Hundred Twenty-Five Years,” which stands as one of the greatest accounts of WSU’s history and early development.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at Fawcett Junker Funeral Home in Winona, and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Funeral services will follow at 10:30 a.m.
Dr. DuFresne helped to create the Winona State that we all know and love today. I ask that you keep Dr. DuFresne’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this sad and difficult time. The DuFresne Family has asked that memorials be directed to the WSU Foundation for the DuFresne scholarship.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Olson
President
