By Albert Amateau
Maurice Logan Jorgens, an oceanographer with the United Nations and a Village resident for 30 years, was found at home on Sept. 25 after he died of cardiovascular disease. He was 48.
Active in Village civic affairs, he was secretary of the Bleecker Area Merchants’ and Residents’ Association (BAMRA) from October 2001 until August 2004.
“He was a brilliant man, a friend and neighbor of great integrity. I miss him,” said Charlie Wolf, a neighbor and fellow BAMRA member.
Born July 12, 1949, in Spokane, Wash., the son of Logan and Juanita Glory Jorgens, he attended University High School in Spokane Valley and went to the University of Washington where he earned four degrees over the next 10 years, including B.S. degrees in oceanography and geology and M.S. degrees in marine affairs-fisheries and public relations.
He worked for the United Nations in Manhattan his entire career, serving and visiting many countries. His latest position at U.N. headquarters was Law of the Sea/Ocean Affairs Officer in the Law of the Sea/Ocean Affairs Division of the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs.
An avid antiques researcher and collector, his apartment on Thompson St. resembled a museum, filled with Bibles, coins, krises (Indonesian daggers) and other antique artifacts gathered during trips to more than 50 countries.
He was an enthusiastic cook, starting when he was 7, and his skills enhanced many feasts and Thanksgiving dinners for family and friends over the years. He was a fixture at Café Español, 172 Bleecker St., where he often had dinner.
Both his parents, of Spokane Valley, his brother Craig, sister-in-law Lisa and two nieces, of Orinda, Cal., and two aunts, Lois McKee of San Marcos, Cal., and Betty Wells, of Spokane Valley, survive. He especially enjoyed amusing and playing with his nieces and many cousins.
A memorial service was Sat., Oct. 13, at Greenwich Village Funeral Home, 199 Bleecker St., followed by a gathering at Café Español.
