Michael Wolfgang LaMorte

Born in Hackensack, NJ on May 5, 1930 to Friederika (Friedel) Dorothea (Schroeder) LaMorte and Michael LaMorte. As an infant, he lived in his mother's home country of Germany and left there at the age of six due to Hitler's Nazi regime. He went to school in Cliffside Park, NJ where he graduated high school and later attended Stevens Institute of Technology. Later, he entered the U.S. Air Force and while stationed in Spokane, WA at Fairchild AFB he met his wife of 64 years, Margaret McKay LaMorte. They later moved to California and lived in the San Francisco bay area. He graduated from San Jose State University and became a high school teacher at Mira Monte HS teaching political science. At that time, he also received his PhD at UC Berkeley.

He moved his family to Athens, GA where he became a professor in Education Administration, specializing in School Law and Finance. He was the sole author of a textbook, "School Law: Cases and Concepts," that had 10 editions and has been used internationally. He also consulted the Georgia state legislature in matters of school funding and was instrumental in passing law that made school funding more equitable between lower and higher income areas. Towards the end of his tenure at UGA, he became Associate Dean of the College of Education. He retired from UGA as Professor Emeritus. He retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a full colonel.

He leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Margaret McKay LaMorte, whom he loved and adored, and his four children, Michele Marie LaMorte-Shbat, Annette Isabelle LaMorte, Anthony (Tony) Michael LaMorte, and James (Jim) Robert LaMorte, and his three grandchildren, Alexander McKay Leach, Nathan Christopher Leach, and Anton Michael LaMorte who all loved him dearly and will miss him greatly.

His family had a private viewing at Bernstein's Funeral Home in Athens on July 8, 2020.