In the bleak midwinter, a group of female faculty members gathered to express appreciation for a woman who had paved the way for us. Our colleague was preparing to retire, but before she moved on to new challenges, we wanted to let her know how much we valued her encouragement, her mentorship, and her feistiness in fighting the battles that opened opportunities for women on our campus.
That was just three months ago. Today, our colleague is dead. We will all miss her: she was a tall, imposing presence on campus, a passionate teacher, a distinguished scholar, and a valued mentor, willing to fight like a bulldog for what she believed in. She went out of her way to encourage me at a particularly low point in my career, and she also gave excellent concise advice about the road to tenure. "Finish things," she said. And she was right.
Today I'm sad that I won't be seeing my colleague in the hallways anymore, but I have one consolation: I'm grateful for that winter party, where we all took the time to tell her "Thanks."
1 comment:
I was hoping that she had retired, and supremely saddened to hear that she had passed. I miss her now and will for a long time. Probably always.
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