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“…one day this summer … we were packing up Deirdre’s office.… As a few of us were sifting through the prodigious volume of materials that Deirdre had produced from her professional work and research, Andy Young, a good friend and colleague of Deirdre’s whose office was in the same cell block, looked in and said, “I’d like to help, but I am overcome by sadness.” What was left unsaid by Andy was the reality that Deirdre was gone, the emptiness of that. On the other hand, had Deirdre heard Andy’s comment she likely would have made one of those playful wry remarks she was so given to, “Oh, Andy was just trying to get out of a little honest work,” even though in this case she would know of course he was not. Deirdre was incredibly committed to her students. She had developed a program that she used in most of her classes that involved an extensive testing and retesting week after week of the same concepts until some level of class mastery, I think it was 80 percent of the class, would get the problem right. None of us would think to put that kind of time into a class. Carol Paxton noted that among the many loves in her life, she loved her work, “specifically, finding ever more effective ways to help her students succeed.” Her friend and chair of her tenure review committee, Lynn Pomeroy, said, “Deirdre’s Tenure Review Committee thought that Deirdre was two or three persons in one, because of all of the professional activities in which she was involved.” Deirdre was very interested in learning disabilities. Ellen Oppenberg, one of our campus LD specialists who worked closely with Deirdre, wrote, “Deirdre's drive, ambition and concern for each and every one of her students’ progress is what I admired most about her. On any given day during the semester, Deirdre would bound down to my office in her signature long dress and sandals, wanting to brainstorm with me on how she could help a student having difficulty in one of her math classes. Often, she would use her lunch hour or in between class time to do this. “Other times when we had more time on our hands, Deirdre and I would discuss her many projects and interests in detail. I loved our conversations because Deirdre was so brilliant. Her love for her work and life was infectious. She never wanted to stop learning, teaching and doing everything she could to improve the outcomes for the students that were lucky enough to be in her math class.” Kathy Holmes was perhaps the person Deirdre was closest to on campus. Kathy wrote: “Deirdre gave her heart and soul to everything she did. I was constantly amazed by her boundless energy, creativity, curiosity, and determination. During the time I worked with Deirdre, I don’t remember a single time she thought something was too difficult or too much work to do. She would doggedly pursue every avenue to bring an idea to fruition. “We had a standing appointment on Monday and Wednesday afternoons to work on the Math Collaborative, our project with the local high schools. I looked forward to the time we spent putting our heads together to find ways to support the goal of helping students become better prepared in high school to succeed in college level mathematics. We spent so much time in each other’s office that people would remark, “You’re always together!” or even “You two are so cute together.” That last remark would set us into laughter almost to the point of tears. “Cute” indeed. “Deirdre had the ability to make friends easily. Once when Deirdre was fairly new to the project, she went to a meeting without me. The next thing I knew, the two of us were invited to tea by a group of women teachers. We have enjoyed the camaraderie of these women and the experience of going to tea on a number of occasions since then. The annual fall tea for the collaborative was inspired by these experiences. “I have the highest esteem for my colleague and I will always cherish our friendship. Last April in the emergency room, Deirdre entrusted her belongings with me to give to her husband, Sterrett. For lack of better words at the time to express my care and concern, I said, “I’ll be thinking of you, Deirdre.” I have been and I will be . . .” One last personal anecdote: As I sat by Deirdre’s hospital bed on that first day waiting for Sterrett to arrive from El Segundo, I was reading a book while Deirdre was sleeping. She woke up and asked me what I was reading. I said it was a mythological story about a devil who had spent several eons observing the poor misguided but sometimes well meaning manifestations of the biped earthling. Deirdre said, “That sounds interesting. Can you get me my purse?” And she proceeded to write down the title and author. She was having a heart attack—but that wasn’t stopping her from seeking knowledge. This is truly what I would call a life-long learner.
—Excerpts from Eulogy given by Peter Stathis |
