Obituaries

Father Herman Ubinger, O.S.B.

 The Rev. Herman F. Ubinger, O.S.B., 66, a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, died Tuesday, November 11, 1997, after an extended illness.

Father Herman was born in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, on August 26, 1931, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Ubinger, and was one of five children. He attended Sacred Heart Grade School in Jeannette, graduating in 1945, then attended Jeannette High School for one term before entering Saint Vincent Preparatory School in 1946. He graduated in 1949, entering Saint Vincent Monastery in 1951. He professed simple vows on July 2, 1952, and entered Saint Vincent Seminary the same year. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Vincent College in 1954, made solemn profession of vows on July 11, 1955, and graduated from the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood in 1958.

After ordination Father Herman attended Ohio State University in the summers of 1959 and 1960, and the University of Michigan in the summers from 1961 to 1963. He received a Master of Arts in classical languages with a Latin major from the University of Michigan in 1963.

Father Herman served as a weekend assistant for several parishes in the Diocese of Greensburg. At Saint Vincent he served as Director of Lay Retreats for over thirty years. He also taught Latin at the Preparatory School, was Prep Prefect for fifteen years, and served as sponsor of the Junior Classical League. In 1968 he became a member of the Saint Vincent Development Committee, and in 1974 was named Director of Alumni. He held that post until his retirement in 1996, when he was named Alumni Director Emeritus in recognition of his years of distinguished service.

Father Herman was an amateur ornithologist and a member of the National Audubon Society. He was also on the National Honorary Committee for the Bird Research Foundation, Ltd., and a member of the Classical Association of Pittsburgh and Vicinity, and of the American Classical League.

Father Herman is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Patricia Hails of Greensburg, and Mrs. Joann Bedont of Jeannette, Pennsylvania.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Father Herman F. Ubinger, O.S.B., Inspirational Scholarship at Saint Vincent College, c/o the Institutional Advancement Office, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA, 15650-2686.