Ridgefield resident Dr. Herbert F. Janick, Jr., longtime WCSU professor and author, has died

Dr. Herbert F. Janick, Jr. died on January 31, 2018. Dr. Janick was born on August 30, 1929 to Dorothy (Dunbar) and Herbert Janick, Sr. of Rochester, NY. He was married to Mary Jane (Bergeron) Janick who died in 2009. They were married for 54 years. The Janicks resided in Ridgefield, CT since 1962.

Dr. Janick was a Professor of American History at Western Connecticut State University for more than 30 years. He authored several works including: The People’s University: The Centennial History of Western Connecticut State University (2002), A Diverse People: Connecticut 1914 to the Present (1975) and - with William E. Devlin - a history of 20th century Danbury entitled Danbury’s Third Century: From Urban Status to Tri-Centennial (2013).

Dr. Janick worked closely with the Connecticut Humanities Council both as a board member and in partnership with the Council on a wide range of projects including museum displays, a radio program and CPTV documentaries. He was a founder of the Danbury Preservation Trust.

Dr. Janick was the recipient of several awards including the Homer Babbidge Award from the Association for the Study of Connecticut History (ASCH), the Sunderland Award from the Danbury Preservation Trust as well as the President’s Medallion from Western Connecticut State University. 

In his retirement, Dr. Janick traveled extensively with his wife in Europe and North America. He was an accomplished gardener and enjoyed participating in numerous luncheon groups including the “Holiday Diner Friday Salon”. He was also a long-time attendee at the Benedictine Grange (Redding, CT).

Dr. Janick is survived by his four children — Herbert (III) and Kathleen of Cape Elizabeth, ME and their children (Stephen, Thomas, Dorothy and Patricia); Mark and Gabriella of South Africa and his children with Lenna Babbigian (Alexander and Timothy); Mary and Jeff Smith of Lynchburg, VA; and Stephen Janick and Russell Palmer of Hockessin, DE. —his loving niece Julie Sorensen of Westport, CT., many lunch mates, close friends, caring neighbors, colleagues and former students.