Obituary of George T Menake

Dr. George T.  Menake, Ph.D., of Montclair, New Jersey, passed away on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. He was 86 years old. He was a beloved husband and a wonderful father who will be dearly missed. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 31, 1938. He had fond memories growing up across from Prospect Park in Flatbush. George attended Xavier High School in Manhattan and won many national awards for his excellence in public speaking. He continued his education at Saint Peter’s College for his B.A., St. John’s University for his M.A., and New York University for his Ph.D. in Political Science. George worked for four years in the U.S. Dept. of Labor and then taught for 37 years at Montclair State University. He wrote two books: Three Traditions of Greek Political Thought: Plato in Dialogue and Policy-Making in the American System: The Case of the Manpower, Development and Training Program. He also wrote two articles on John Locke which were published in the journal Political Theory. Over his career he attended numerous academic conferences, giving papers and commenting on papers all over the country. George received numerous awards and acknowledgements, including a year-long fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 59 years, Mary Menake, by only 8 weeks. He is survived by his three children, Kathleen Menake of Montclair, Douglas Menake and his wife Jamie of Bloomfield, and Cecelia Schier and her husband Tom of Montclair; four grandchildren, Laura, Robert, Kate, and Jack; and many nieces and nephews both here and in Ireland.

Cremation will be private. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to help kidney disease research and dialysis patients to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016, or on their website www.kidney.org