Ms. Mary Mueller, and Lynwood & Kristine Mueller

Kurt Mueller was a Political Science major at SlU Carbondale, but beyond Political Science his interests went in every direction imaginable. He felt that there was worth to every subject; that every topic was suitable for discussion or debate. Kurt had limitless curiosity about history, social and cultural anthropology, zoology, art, and music, to name only a few areas. He was planning to study abroad in Wales and was looking forward to traveling and experiencing life in another culture. It was important to him to see how people other than Americans lived.

Kurt flourished in his classes at SIU and he enjoyed the academic environment. He was glad for the challenge of research papers and lengthy reading assignments. A career in academia may have been on the horizon. He was happy to be on a campus that took good care of its natural environment, and he took advantage of the close proximity of state parks and visited them often.

Kurt did not hesitate to speak up in class and join discussions about politics. He had his opinions and he stuck to them -he was certainly an independent thinker in that regard. Kurt would never purposefully belittle others tor their opposing opinions, either. He tried to see all issues from all sides, and that’s what kept him so interested in Political Science since there are many sides to each issue. Kurt believed it was beneficial to be open to hearing different viewpoints on the same issue, because it would either strengthen his own convictions or allow his mind to grow.