CSC loses former president

Former CSC president Sam Rankin died early Sunday in a Dayton, Ohio hospital. Rankin suffered a short bout with pancreatic cancer.

Rankin served as president from 1986 to 1998. After he stepped down as president, Rankin was named president emeritus and remained on the campus for nine years as a Board of Trustees Professor of History.

“He was a kind, intelligent, funny man who made a grand impression on me,” Chadron resident Rana Tucker said. “He was my adviser for my first master’s thesis, and I’m so glad I knew him.”

Rankin’s impact stemmed from his humor, intellect, and humility, said Mark Martins, former CSC graduate student and current history adjunct.

“He personified the type of teacher I wanted to be,” Martins said. “He was fun to learn from, spoke in a way that you remembered, and didn’t take himself too seriously.”

Martin said he remembered Rankin as being accessible, and considered him a mentor. Rankin’s survivors include his wife Sharon, three sons, a daughter, and seven grandchildren.