WEBER STATE WOMEN’S STUDIES NEWSLETTER

VOL IV, NO 9 MAY 1998

COORDINATOR’S CORNER

In this season of rebirth of the earth, Spring, Beltain, Easter, we remember, with sadness, student Stephanie Parker, who died recently in a tragic auto accident, and, in a special way, Women’s Studies graduate June Cannon, who died in childbirth. Our deep sympathies go to their families. We will be commemorating June in a number of ways during the next month. To assist her family, we have set up the June Cannon Memorial Fund at the WSU Credit Union. Contributions can be made directly to the account or sent to the Women’s Studies office for deposit. June’s education was a precious possession to her and we hope that our contributions can help her children reach their educational goals. In lieu of this month’s faculty profile, we remember June Cannon and Stephanie Parker.

On a happy note, congratulations to WSSA whose first seminar, featuring Dr. Angelika Pagel, Professor of Visual Arts, was a huge success. A large number of faculty and students attended Dr. Pagel’s lecture and accompanying slide presentation on feminist artists. The thought-provoking subject matter elicited a number of questions and some discussion after Dr. Pagel finished speaking. In May, WSSA will sponsor Dr. Sally Bishop Shigley, who will present "Gender-Bending in the Poetry of Elizabeth Bishop", on Thursday, 21 May, at 4:30 PM in the Sage Room of the Education Building.

IN MEMORIAM

Margaret June Higgs Cannon was born 31 December 1956 in Ogden; she grew up and attended public school in Riverdale, UT. She was scheduled to graduate summa cum laude this June from WSU, with a double major in Child and Family Studies and Psychology and a minor in Women’s Studies. Her unexpected and untimely death on 9 April following the birth of her son, Donald Thomas, shocked and saddened all those who knew her.

When she began taking classes in Women’s Studies, she was using the last name of HarmoneyQ; many of us first heard of her in discussions of whether to pronounce that "Har-mon-ee-cue" or "Har-mo-neek." It didn’t take long for us to associate her with more enduring, and endearing, characteristics, including being (as one faculty member described her) "an ideal student, not only because she was very intelligent and worked so hard, but because she loved what she was doing." June’s love of learning led to her 4.00 GPA, as well as to her participation in other opportunities to broaden her academic horizons. She attended two annual meetings of the National Women’s Studies Association, and, this past January, presented a paper at the Women in Higher Education meeting in San Francisco.

Twice, June was chosen to receive the Crystal Crest "Woman of the Year" Award. A WS faculty member who served on one of those selection committees had concern that her unique strengths might go unheeded by members whose backgrounds differed so much from hers. "However, her sterling qualities gleamed through" and the committee recognized her as the "natural choice" in light of "her volunteer efforts, her brilliant scholarship, and her well-rounded personality."

June had a "gentle, loving spirit" that she shared with her children, whom she loved and respected as individuals. In one of her WS classes on quilting as literature, she made a legacy quilt for her daughter Amanda, honoring the generations of wonderful women who supported them both. June’s outgoing giving personality benefitted everyone with whom she interacted; her openness, honesty, and genuine compassion never failed to put others at ease. Although many of us on campus did not have the chance to experience it, June was a profoundly spiritual person and often expressed that side of herself in poetry. Her husband, William Raymond Cannon, takes comfort in some of the poems that she left as part of her legacy to him. Their brief life together began when they met on the flight returning June (and two other Weber Stater’s) from Oklahoma after the 1995 NWSA meeting. The instant bond between them led to much happiness in the last few years (and to June’s adopting the name Cannon, creating less pronunciation controversy.) They became beloved friends and partners, without sacrificing the individuality and independence that each had developed over the years and for which June had fought so long and hard. In addition to her husband, Bill, and newborn son, Tom, June is survived by her parents, eight siblings, and her children Sean, Amanda, Shane, Corey and Ryan.

June leaves a profound sense of loss for her family and friends, but, at the same time, she leaves the knowledge that she truly lived her life to the fullest, despite its being cut far too short. Along with disappointment that we have lost her from our lives is a deep gratitude that we had an opportunity to share with her our diverse opinions, our hopes and our dreams.

* * *

Apologies to Angelika Pagel for not checking my information more carefully last month and for listing her as an Associate Professor rather than (correctly) Professor.

Congratulations to former WS student Pam Fritch, recipient of a Presidential Outstanding Classified Staff Award.

Kudos to Tracy Callahan, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts and soon-to-be Women’s Studies faculty, who directed two of the six one-act plays included in "Mere Mortals" by David Ives, currently being presented by Salt Lake Acting Company.

On Wednesday, 6 May, internationally acclaimed Navajo painter and printmaker, Emmi Whitehorse, will lecture in the Peery Lecture Hall (Room 101) of the Marriott Health Sciences Building on the WSU campus at 8 PM. The lecture is part of the Issues in Contemporary Art series, sponsored by the WSU Department of Visual Arts; it is free and open to the public.

The 1998 Utah NOW Conference will be held on Saturday, 9 May, at Westminster College in SLC. The Conference theme is "Is This REALLY the Place for: Lesbian and Gay Teachers, Reproductive Rights, Getting Women Elected, Young Feminists ...?" For information, call 483-5188.

This is the season of concerts and senior recitals/performances by students in Performing Arts. For concert schedules, contact 626-6431.

1 May - Exec. Council Mtg., 2 PM, SS137.

2 May - Poetry Slam featuring WSU’s Metaphor contributors, 5-7 PM, The Bookshelf, 2432 Washington Blvd., Ogden.

5 May - Faculty Awards Banquet, 12:30 PM, UB Blrm.

6 May - Emmi Whitehorse, Marriott Health Sciences Bldg, Rm. 101, 8 PM; for more information, call 626-7689.

9 May - Utah NOW Conference, Westminster College, SLC; for more info., call 483-5188.

21 May - WSSA presents Dr. Sally Bishop Shigley, 4:30 PM, Sage Rm., Educ. Bldg.

28 May - Amnesty International sponsors Homa Firouzbakhch presenting "Gender Apartheid in Iranian Society" at 10:30 AM, SS394.