Dr. Paul R. Wozniak

Published 12:00 am Friday, June 25, 2010

Dr. Paul R. Wozniak, 68, of Bowling Green, died at 1:02 p.m. June 23, 2010, at The Medical Center.

The Buffalo, N.Y., native was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and anthropology from Canisius College in Buffalo in 1963 and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Massachusetts in 1967. During his college years, he was an Army R.O.T.C. member and a Distinguished Military Graduate commissioned in 1963. He served as a staff sociologist in the U.S. Army Research Office from 1967-1969. While on active duty in the Army, he was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal. He began his teaching career as an assistant professor of sociology at Cornell University from 1969-1971. He came to Western Kentucky University as an associate professor of sociology in 1971 and was promoted to full professor in 1978. He served as the department head of sociology at Western from 1990 until the present. Among his many achievements, he received the Award for Excellence in Teaching, Potter College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences from Western Kentucky University. He was a son of the late Bernard and Virginia Wozniak.

Funeral Mass is at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, where he was a longtime member. Visitation is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. today with a prayer service at 8:30 p.m. at J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Home, Lovers Lane chapel.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Holy Spirit Catholic Church Building Fund or to the Dr. Paul R. Wozniak Memorial Scholarship Fund, College Heights Foundation, 1906 College Heights Blvd. 41016, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1016.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Christine Wozniak; a son, Russell Wozniak and his wife, Marcia, of Victoria, Texas; two daughters, Jill Cox, of Versailles and Karen Wozniak and her husband, John Coates, of San Antonio; four grandchildren, Ellen and Alex Cox, of Versailles, and Cole and Anne-Grayson Wozniak, of Victoria; a brother, David Wozniak and his wife, Mary Ann, of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas; a brother, Donald Wozniak, of Lorain, Ohio; a sister, Kathleen Melidona and her husband, Paul, of Williamsville, N.Y.; a sister, Dawn Wozniak, of Valrico, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.