In Memory of OSCLG Members
Jeffries joined the communication department in August 2014 as the visiting minority postdoctoral fellow. She had just finished her third semester with the department before her passing on Jan. 15. Jeffries was known as an impassioned teacher, an authentic colleague and to her family, a follower and fulfiller of her dreams.
The service was performed following Quaker beliefs, as Jeffries identified as being Quaker. The service began with a moment of silence followed by people standing to speak about Jeffries as they felt called to do so. The service ended with those in attendance singing “Amazing Grace.”
“We were fortunate enough to hire her as a post doctoral fellow here at WKU,” Richard Miller, vice provost and chief diversity officer said during the service.
Jieyoung Kong, assistant professor in the communication department, read from a note she prepared in Jeffries memory. The note highlighted several aspects of the two’s relationship such as their first time meeting and working together. She also spoke about the passion Jeffries had for teaching. “You wanted students to experience genuine human connection,” Kong said.
Charlotte Elder, instructor and director of recruiting, also spoke of her time spent with Jeffries while in the communication department. She said how Jeffries was always willing to listen and tell a story and how she was a walking library of stories. “Everything you told her became a story for her not to show off later but because she cared,” Elder said.
Dr. Linda Alice May Perry, 65, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, at her home in San Diego.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Dr. Linda Alice May Perry, 65, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, at her home in San Diego.
She is survived by two daughters, Holly Nichols of Rhode Island and Heather Mann of Colorado; her granddaughter, Ashley Nichols of Massachusetts; sisters, Bonnie Garrett of Maine and Sandra Perry of Iowa; and a brother, Ronald Perry of Maine.
She was predeceased by her parents, Jean and C. Sidney Perry of Kennebunkport, Maine; and a brother, David Perry of Kansas.
Linda was professor emeritus of communication studies and gender studies at the University of San Diego and was highly regarded in her field. She was a lover of dogs, film, theater, music, museums, travel, the San Diego Zoo, and games. She was a loving mother, grandmother and sister, and a fiercely loyal friend.
Linda continually overcame challenges related to her chronic illnesses with courage and determination, a trait admired by many.
had McBride, 48, died on April 21, 2024, after a four-year struggle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He passed away in his home, held by his husband, Allen. His impact in this world was widespread and profound, and he will be remembered with great love by countless friends and family members.
Dr. Micah Chad McBride was born on August 1, 1975 in Weatherford, Texas. He led what he has described as a classic “Texas Boyhood,” and graduated with high honors from Weatherford High School in 1993. Chad attended Texas Christian University, where he served as a resident assistant and hall director. He considered a career in student life before he discovered his love for both the discipline of communication and for teaching. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication in 1996 and his Master of Science in 1999, both from TCU. It was during his doctoral work at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, that his passion for research truly blossomed. After earning his Ph.D. in 2003, he began his work at Creighton University, where he spent his entire career.
At Creighton, Chad was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2009 and promoted to professor in 2016. He served as chair of the Communication Studies department from 2013 to 2022, where he upheld the department’s value for collegial relationships and a supportive work culture. Chad was a national leader in the communication discipline, serving as President of both the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender (where he was named an Oracle) and the Central States Communication Association (where he was named to the Hall of Fame). As a scholar, his collaborative nature led to many productive and supportive co-authorships with colleagues at Creighton and beyond. In particular, his research on “work spouses” is noteworthy in its reach to wider audiences through the popular press. Chad was also a dedicated teacher, always seeking ways to innovate and to inspire students. His last act of inspiration was to write, primarily with his eyes tracking on a tablet, a memoir of his life.
Chad met his beloved husband, Allen Saunders, in 2008, and they were joined in marriage in 2015. Chad had always yearned to become a father, and was shocked and ecstatic when he and Allen received the call about a possible adoption. Together, they took the leap of faith to prepare themselves for parenthood, and their son Jackson’s birth in February of 2016 was a peak experience in Chad’s life. Throughout the rest of his years, Chad found his greatest joy in being Allen’s husband and Jackson’s dad. Along the way, Chad also became a reluctant cat lover, and he was a “cat dad” to Zeb, Zuri, and Lucky.
Chad was a collector of music, art, books, Christmas decorations, Horned Frog paraphernalia, and countless friends he transformed into family. He loved children, feminist values, the Dallas Cowboys, live concerts, and good food and drink. Always willing to spend time truly listening, he was a dedicated friend to many. He shared his passions with others in forums ranging from journal articles and the classroom to online book clubs and recommendations for “Chad’s Damn Good Songs.”
Chad was a man of faith who followed Christ’s example of love, service, and a radical acceptance of all. He also embraced the Ignatian spirituality he encountered at Creighton University, living out the Jesuit value of care for the whole person. With this foundation, and throughout his life, Chad personified the values he taught in his interpersonal communication classes: that relationships are the center of the human experience and that it is through our communion with others that we know we are truly loved and have truly lived.
Chad was preceded in death by his beloved Memaw, Blanche Wood, and Pawpaw, George Wood. Chad is survived by his husband, Allen Saunders, his son, Jackson Saunders-McBride and the many, many people who were his chosen “family of heart.”
Dr. Bren Adair Ortega-Murphy died on April 26th, 2021 as afternoon sunlight filled the room. It was a warm and fitting moment of passage, as Bren never curtained a window. She adored open half shutters, which allowed for direct communion with light and plants, birds and wonder. Her husband was present to read a final children’s book and her two grown kids held her hand.
Bren was born November 27, 1949 in Beaumont, Texas and raised in Houston by her parents Edward Ortega Jr. and Esther Ortega née Larsen. She often reflected on her time at Mount Carmel Catholic School, where she shone as a debate champion and dedicated classmate. Her incredible work on the forensics team led to a scholarship at Northwestern University where she eventually completed her undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees.
In June 2020, Bren retired from a cherished 36-year career at Loyola University Chicago, where she held a joint appointment in the School of Communication and Women Studies and Gender Studies. She taught numerous courses in both areas and in 1996 received the Sujack Award for teaching excellence. In her time at Loyola, she also served as the Chair of the Communication department, Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, Chair of Faculty Council and Director of Women’s Studies.
With a focus on rhetoric and ethics, Bren championed children’s literature, women religious, and service learning. A favorite assignment was to teach public speaking by requiring students to read children’s books out loud to the whole class. She cried openly whenever anyone read Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. For Bren, children’s literature had a power beyond measure, allowing the reader to delight, to cry, to discern and, finally, to act in the name of all that is good. She advocated equally for celebrating Catholic women religious or, as many know them, Nuns. In 2011, Bren directed A Question of Habit, a documentary narrated by Susan Sarandon. The film explored popular culture’s fascination with all things “nun” and illuminated the history of women religious in the United States, from their life as battlefield medics in the Civil War, to their persistence as political activists fighting against capital punishment.
Outside of academia, Bren dedicated her life to friends and family through a constant stream of greeting cards, cookie packages and film suggestions. She was obsessed with cut flowers, lit candles, excellent butter, and supporting lonely-looking farmers at the Evanston Farmers Market. She could be found often at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera, Steppenwolf Theatre, and the KidSeries at Lifeline Theatre. She was Catholic. She was a feminist. She was a wonder – and she had all the buttons, bumper stickers, and subscriptions to prove it.
Dr. Martha James Hardman, linguistics professor with the Center for Latin American Studies from 1969 until 2010, died on February 6 at the age of 87. Over the span of a remarkable academic career that began with a master’s degree at the age of 19 in 1956, Dr. Hardman forged new paths for linguistic anthropology and Indigenous linguistics education.
Dr. Hardman’s research focused on the community of Tupe, Peru, and the Jaqi language family (consisting of Aymara, Jaqaru, and Kawki) spoken in the Andean region. Her work, which comprised hundreds of hours of conversation recordings and notes, resulted in the first written grammar for the Jaqaru language in Peru.
The arrival of Dr. Hardman at the University of Florida’s Center for Latin American Studies in 1969 meant the development of the university’s Aymara program – a landmark Indigenous language program at the level of higher education. Dr. Hardman stewarded “Aymara at UF” with U.S. Department of Education funding from 1969 until 1990. Then, in 2004, she resurrected the program for online education, with the help of an interdisciplinary team of linguists, instructional designers, and academic technology engineers to build an innovative online resource for Aymara, Jaqaru, and Kawki.
When Dr. Hardman retired in 2010, she wrote her colleagues a note that said she would “have presence in the UF ether, in perpetuity if all promises are kept.” This presence is still felt at the University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies, through her groundbreaking work in Indigenous linguistics and the reverberation of her influence in our current Indigenous Studies courses, students, and faculty.
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