Obituary of Marvin C. Rintala

MARVIN C. RINTALA RETIRED BOSTON COLLEGE PROFESSOR Marvin Rintala, age 87, died September 9, 2021 at the Hebrew Senior Life Center in Roslindale where he had resided for much of the last year. A proud Minnesotan of Finnish descent, Marvin lived in Coolidge Corner, Brookline for more than forty years. Celebrated for his dry wit and devotion to students, Marvin was a professor in the Political Science Department at Boston College from 1963 until his retirement in 2004. Marvin was born July 6, 1934 in Cloquet, Minnesota, the only child of Charles B. Rintala and Allie Hill Rintala. He studied in the local schools of Cloquet, the University of Chicago where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1956, Helsinki University as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a master's degree in 1955 and a doctorate in international relations in 1958 both at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University. Before joining the BC faculty in 1963, Marvin taught at Brown University. He specialized in the politics of Western Europe and social forces and published five books and numerous articles over the course of his career at BC. Marvin was pleased to be able to create a scholarship fund for graduates of Cloquet High School. He is survived by cousins and their families and friends. At Marvin's request a private graveside service will be conducted in Cloquet on September 20. Arrangements by the Atkins-Northland Funeral Home of Cloquet, Minnesota.