Glen F. Proechel (1938-2012)

Glen F. Proechel, a USCF life member from Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, died April 14, 2012 in Crookston, Minn. He was 74. Mr. Proechel was born Jan. 3, 1938 in Janesville, Minn. and had lived many years in Red Lake Falls. A gifted linguist, he had taught German, French, Spanish and Russian during her career. Over the years, he taught in Germany, Russia and China. He was an instructor in Spanish at the University of Minnesota-Crookston. He once hosted a Klingon Language Camp in Red Lake Falls for devotees of the fictional race in the Star Trek television and movie series. In the early 1990s he served as coordinator for the Global Studies Institute, a four-year program that brought international students to Lafayette High School in Red Lake Falls. In addition to being a teacher of foreign languages, Mr. Proechel was a Lutheran minister. He and his wife, Maryse, also performed missionary work in China and South Korea. He loved playing Scrabble, Go, checkers and especially chess. When he was a senior in high school, he won the Minnesota State Junior Chess Championship. He was also Iowa state chess champion in 1967 and had also won the Minnesota State Chess Championship as an adult. He competed in many Minnesota Senior Championships and during the last 20 years was senior champion in 2008, 2007 1995 and 1993. He was runner-up in 2006, 2005 and 1999. His last USCF-rated tournament was the 2010 North Dakota Championship in Fargo.

Obit submitted by George Mirijanian
President, Massachusetts Chess Association

Glen F. Proechel may you rest in peace