Date of death: 11/21/2019
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1960
Donald Thomas McGrogan PhD. passed away peacefully at home November 21, 2019.
He is survived by his two sons, Brian (Ruth), of Denver, CO, and Chris, Oakland, CA, and four grandsons, Thomas, Jack, Angelo, and Rocco.
Dr. McGrogan was born in Ottawa, IL, on October 22, 1934. He was the son of Herbert and Ceil McGrogan of Dayton.
He attended Marquette High School and graduated in 1952. Following high school, he entered St. Bede Seminary in Peru, IL, and then enrolled at St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana.
Dr. McGrogan was ordained as a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Peoria, May 29, 1960, and was assigned to St. Patrick’s parish in Urbana, IL as assistant pastor.
In 1962, Father McGrogan joined the reserves as a chaplain in the Army National Guard and in 1965, attended chaplain training school in Newport Rhode Island. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Marine Aircraft Group 16 in Danang, Vietnam where he was stationed as a Catholic chaplain and oversaw the construction of an orphanage on China Beach, Danang.
Following his tour of duty in Vietnam, Father McGrogan was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL. While in Pensacola Father McGrogan transferred from chaplain to Information Officer and was sent to the Pentagon for training in the Office of Naval Operations. He was then assigned to the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, IN.
Father McGrogan served as Information Officer to the Commander of Attack Strike Force 7th Fleet on the staff of Vice Admiral Barshar and later served a one-year deployment in the Gulf of Tonkin. While at sea he arranged visits for such dignitaries as President Park of South Korea, President Marcos of the Philippines, and Bob Hope.
Following his Gulf of Tonkin tour, now Lt. McGrogan returned to the States and was assigned to St. Patrick’s parish in Urbana as associate pastor, and he obtained his doctorate degree in Psychology at the University of Illinois. It was in Urbana where he met and married Jolene Myers in 1973.
Upon completion of his PhD in psychology, Dr. McGrogan was employed at Carle Clinic’s Division of Psychiatry in 1976 and worked there until his retirement in 2011. He served on the Champaign County Mental Health Center Board for nine years, serving two years as President.
Dr. McGrogan enjoyed classical music, boating, gardening, traveling, and a good, stiff Manhattan. Or two.
He was a member of St. Patrick’s Church in Urbana.
He was preceeded in death by his parents, his wife Jolene and his brother Larry.
A funeral mass is scheduled for Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church in Urbana, Illinois.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Patrick’s building fund, the Carle Center for Philanthropy, or the One-to-One Scholarship Fund established for Jolene McGrogan.
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