Norman Kogan, emeritus professor of political science, died on Feb. 26. He was 91.

Kogan was an expert on Italian government, politics, foreign relations, and modern history, providing in his books, articles, seminars, and classes a clear-eyed analysis of Italy’s perilous and fractious development in the decades following World War II. In 1971, he was awarded the title Knight in the Order of Merit by the government of Italy, and in 2005 he was given the first Career Achievement Award in the Field of Italian Politics and Society by the Conference Group on Italian Politics and Society.

Kogan was born in Chicago in 1919. He served in World War II, supervising Italian prisoners of war who had volunteered to work with the Allies. After earning a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Chicago, he joined the University of Connecticut in 1949. He taught on the Storrs campus from 1950 to 1988, while also visiting Italy regularly with his wife Meryl and, when possible, their children Richard and Frank.

In addition to his wife and sons, Kogan is survived by his daughter-in-law Nan and grandsons David and Robert Kogan.

Those who knew him described his as “passionate, strong, and infinitely patient, courteous, sweet, and devoted utterly to the search for truth.”

Memorial donations may be made to the Norman Kogan Fellowship Fund or to a local charity of choice. Checks for the fellowship fund may be made payable to The UConn Foundation Inc. and forwarded to 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269. For an online memorial guest book, go to the Potter Funeral Home website.