Philo C. Wasburn

Philo was born March 5, 1938 in Youngstown, Ohio to Rejane “Fritzi” Philo and Lemuel Wasburn. On December 24, 1961 he married Mara Hurwitz of Pittsburgh, PA, whom he met while they were students at the University of Michigan. They shared a warm family life with their three children. Their common interests included international travel, collecting Inuit art and folk music. Mara passed away on March 27, 2011.

Philo received his B.A. and M. A. degrees in philosophy from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell University. At Cornell he received the Bobbs-Merrill outstanding graduate student award in 1968.

Dr. Wasburn was a faculty member of Purdue University’s Department of Sociology for 46 years during which he authored numerous articles as well as three books, co-authored three others and edited five. He was a founding member of the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association. His work focused on political socialization and on the structure and operation of news and propaganda.

Philo is survived by a son, Aaron Wasburn, of West Lafayette; a daughter Leah Wasburn-Moses and her children, Adam, Fox, and Rachel, of Oxford, Ohio; and another daughter, Hope Herbaut Wasburn and her daughter Estelle of Gagny, France. He is also survived by his companion Mary Lou Johnson of Lafayette, who brought joy to his later years. There will be a private gathering.

Instead of flowers or cards, the family requests donations to the Lafayette Crisis Center (Wabash Valley Mental Health America) or The Trevor Project.