Alexander Yard

(parts of this article contributed by Mary Kesler, WSU psychology professor and president of the WSU Faculty Association)

Prof. Alexander Yard had taught at Winona State University for nearly 20 years when he died of complications from cancer Aug. 5, 2005, at age 54

Yard was born May 13, 1951, in St. Louis, Mo. He earned A.B., A.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Washington university in St. Louis, and also earned a master's degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Yard married Vicki Englich on May 29, 1980, in St. Louis. He had been a professor in the history department at Winona State University since 1986. He served as president of the WSU Faculty Association from 1997 to 2001 and was chairman for two terms of the History Department, from 1996 to 2001. 

In May 2001, Yard had the distinction of being the first WSU Faculty Association president to lead the Commencement Ceremony Processional carrying the new WSU Mace. The mace now leads each commencement ceremony, carried by the faculty association president.

Alex Yard loved teaching. He engaged students with his sense of humor and his passion for history. He specialized in American labor history and East Asian history, and he enjoyed leading trips to Asia, including Mongolia, Tibet, Vietnam and China. He also had a passion for the Mississippi River and was part of a group of faculty starting a River Studies Center.           

Yard had served as president of the Winona County Historical Society and was the chairman of the Winona County DFL Party and loved politics. Being a labor union historian, he was especially interested in “putting the L back in DFL,” as fellow faculty member Darrell Downs puts it. Yard knew all about the minimum wage fight earlier in our country’s history and was committed to economic justice and educational opportunities for everyone. 

Some of the mementoes Yard left behind were his white unlaced tennis shoes, which he wore even to graduation; an ugly tie he kept in his office that he could slap on for “formal” occasions; a collection of Three Stooges paraphernalia; and a History Association bowling shirt (he didn’t bowl).   

He had a sense of humor that his students and colleagues enjoyed but didn’t always understand.  One of Yard's legacies to those on campus, according to Darrell Downs: “Some have been scratching their heads for years trying to figure out Alex's jokes. For those of us who knew and understood Alex, I know we'll be laughing for years to come over something he would have said if he'd been here to see it.”       

A memorial service was held for Yard in August in WSU's Lourdes Hall. Since he passed away during summer, another memorial service occurred in September so that colleagues, students and former students could attend.

Memorials may be directed to Winona Area Hospice Association, Gundersen Lutheran Cancer Center, Winona State University Foundation or the Winona Area Public Schools Foundation.