Aldon Bell, Beloved UW Professor, Took Stand On Soviets, South Africa

For a quiet man, Aldon "Don" Duane Bell, a longtime associate history professor at the University of Washington, had a profound influence on the lives of many at the university.

But Mr. Bell's influence wasn't restricted to the campus. He fought for greater understanding with the Soviets at a time when the idea was unpopular, resulting in controversy in the early 1980s.

He was one of the first voices to ask that the UW divest itself of business ties to South Africa, a country where Mr. Bell taught for two years. He also taught in England and the former Soviet Union.

News of Mr. Bell's death on Monday at the age of 62 has brought calls from around the world. People have called from Hong Kong, India, Egypt, England, South Africa and from throughout the nation, said his wife, Betsy.

Mr. Bell returned home from University Hospital Saturday after being told by doctors that there was no hope of remission from leukemia, a disease he battled for four years.

He told his doctors that he wanted to go home, where he surrounded himself with family and friends and said goodbye, Mrs. Bell said.

"This house has been full of people. There was lots of story telling, lots of people coming by to tell him how great he was. It was a great send-off," Mrs. Bell said.

Jim Dixon, one of Mr. Bell's former students, said he learned something from his former teacher even as he was dying. "As your last gift you taught us how to die," Dixon said.

"He was probably one of the best loved professors at the university," said Virginia McDermott, a longtime friend. "He seemed to enable people to do things."

Betty Jane Narver, director of the UW Institute for Public Policy and Management, called Mr. Bell "the epitome of what a teacher should be."

He didn't just tell the facts, he made the connections between events, explaining why they were important, she said, adding, "You understood why things happened."

In 1982, Mr. Bell's public forums to promote understanding between the Soviet Union and the United States, which were called "Target Seattle, Soviet Realities and Preventing Nuclear War," landed him in trouble and he was removed from his position as dean of the school's division of continuing education.

University officials never explained the move, claiming that Mr. Bell resigned; he told reporters he was "pushed out," although he retained his teaching position.

He was "profoundly disappointed" in the university's judgment, feeling that "there was room in a great institution for the kind of philosophy and beliefs he represented," Mrs. Bell said.

In the late 1970's, Mr. Bell was one of the first to call for the university to divest itself of holdings in firms that did business in South Africa. Although it was many years later and involved much controversy and demonstrations, the university's Board of Regents voted in August, 1986, to take action.

Hubert Locke, director of the Society and Justice Program at the university, said Mr. Bell "literally lived his beliefs. He really felt a commitment to make changes for the better."

In 1983, Mr. Bell led a local delegation to Tashkent, Seattle's sister city in the former Soviet Union, in hopes of expanding contacts between the peoples of two worlds.

"He really believed people could come together," Mrs. Bell said.

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Mr. Bell won a Rhodes scholarship after graduating from the University of Oklahoma. In 1969, he came to the UW, where he helped establish such programs as Chicano Studies, Women's Studies, and Environmental Studies.

Mr. Bell served on the Seattle Public Library board, The Evergreen State College board of trustees, and as an accreditations officer for the Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association. He also was a member of St. Mark's Cathedral, where he served in a number of capacities.

Besides his wife, he is survived by four daughters, Grace Elizabeth Bell, Priscilla Joan Bell and Ruth Porteous, all of Seattle, and Dr. Eleanor O'Betra of Ithaca, N.Y., and his mother, O'Betra Opal Gosset of Dumas, Texas.

A memorial service will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Mark's Cathedral on Capitol Hill. A potluck will follow in Bloedel Hall at the cathedral.

Mr. Bell, who was an accomplished cook, suggested the potluck. "He said he wanted one, so we're going to have one," said McDermott. "Tell people to bring stuff, anything they want. It'll be a great send-off."