On March 7, 2022, Thomas J. Froehlich, Ph.D., who resided in Kent, Ohio, passed away in a calm and serene manner. He was surrounded by his cherished cats, Papageno, Nefertiti, and Portia. At Kent State University, where he had worked for 27 years and where he continued to teach after retiring, Dr. Froehlich held the position of Professor Emeritus in the School of Information from which he retired. His foundation in philosophy (Ph.D., Duquesne University, 1975) and his Master of Science in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh (1982) were integrated in the majority of his work, which focused on ethical problems in the information professions.
The following subjects were among those that he taught: information science, information ethics, information architecture, knowledge management, network and software resources, online searching, computer programming, and user interface design. In recent years, he developed a strong interest in misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.
He also established a new teaching and research stream in this field, which included a course called The Age of Disinformation, journal articles, and presentations on a national and international scale. At the time of his passing, he was in the process of writing a book titled 10 Lessons for the Age of Disinformation.
In addition to being a visionary at Kent State’s iSchool, Dr. Froehlich was the founder and former Director of the Master of Science Programme in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (IAKM) from 2001 to 2011. Since then, the programme has expanded to include master’s degrees in Knowledge Management (KM), User Experience Design (UXD), and Health Informatics (HI).
As a colleague who was both kind and kind, he served as a mentor to a large number of students and faculty members. In addition to hosting a large number of events, he welcomed visiting students and academics into his home. Everyone was able to benefit from his passion for music and gourmet cuisine, and he was always looking for an excuse to throw a party.
Dr. Froehlich, also known as Tom, was the fourth son of Helen and John Froehlich, who both passed away. His family has been running the family meat market, Alex Froehlich Packing Company, for four generations.
He was born on January 15, 1941 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which is also the location of his family headquarters. Tom’s parents, Helen and John, as well as his brothers, Richard and David, and his niece, Nancy, all passed away before him.
A loving family, including his sisters Ann Russel and Kay Mulvaney, his brother John Paul Froehlich, his sisters-in-law, Vinnie Froehlich and Barbara Froehlich, fourteen nieces and nephews, and a large number of close friends from the iSchool and the Kent Community, are among those who are left behind after his passing.
