Department of Sociology and Criminology Remembers William D. Mangold Jr.

William Mangold

William Mangold

The University of Arkansas Department of Sociology and Criminology has lost a longtime faculty member. William  D. Mangold Jr., professor emeritus of sociology, passed away in Sebastian, Florida on July 3, 2019. 

William D. Mangold received his B.A. and M.A. in sociology from the University of South Florida (USF). After a year as an instructor in the USF Behavioral Science Department, Duke University admitted him to the Demographic Studies Doctoral Program supported by a National Institute of Health Fellowship for the study of adolescent pregnancy and family formation. 

Mangold joined the U of A's Department of Sociology and Criminology as an assistant professor in 1974. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1981 and professor in 1989. He served as graduate program director and, in 1990, he founded the Center for Social Research, serving as its director until his retirement in 2002. In the department, Mangold taught classes in sociology, including those focused on statistics, demography, poverty and policy.

Mangold had an outstanding career. During his tenure at the University of Arkansas, he authored or co-authored over 100 research articles and monographs, supervised several funded research projects, and presented at national and international professional meetings. In addition to his exceptional research activities, he pursued postgraduate studies in advanced statistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

As Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton appointed Mangold to several Arkansas boards and committees. As president, Clinton also offered Mangold a position in his administration as an advisor on health policy, but Mangold was unable to accept.

Following retirement, Mangold moved to Sebastian, Florida with his wife LuAnn Bean, a professor of accounting at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

William D. Mangold was a well-respected colleague, mentor and teacher. He will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues from the Department of Sociology and Criminology. 

He is survived by his wife LuAnn Bean, daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie Taylor and Dominick Taylor of Bella Vista, and a granddaughter, Ryan Taylor, also of Bella Vista.