Four years into his role as dean of admissions, he took a daring step: Admissions closed as soon as the freshman class reached the right mix of 1,030 students. Last-minute applicants whose top choice fell through were shut out.

Boehm died June 23, 2019, at age 77 in Richmond, Virginia.

The extroverted Boehm “had the type of personality to start positioning TCU as a university of choice rather than a university of second choice,” said William Koehler, who was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. The plan was to “build an image not of elitism but of putting an intense focus on teaching and research, make it a place where students wanted to be and to come first.”

Back then, Koehler said, college-bound high school seniors often saw TCU “as a backstop — you could always get into TCU.”

Then news rippled across other campuses that “oh my God, TCU is already closing admissions!” said Joan G. Rogers ’58, director of administrative services under Boehm and a current TCU trustee. “We all sort of held our breath.”

Janet George Herald ’74, associate dean of admissions during Boehm’s decade at TCU, said he was highly respected in the college admissions field.

“When he spoke at a prospective student event … students and parents were mesmerized with his enthusiasm for TCU,” she said.

Rogers said Boehm created a “really positive atmosphere in the admissions office.” Nearly all the admissions counselors were Horned Frog grads, eager to spread the word about TCU.

Boehm advanced to assistant vice chancellor and associate vice chancellor, then left TCU to be senior vice president of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. In 1995 he became president of Keystone College in La Plume, Pennsylvania, retiring in 2013.