Mark,

Thanks for posting the information about the passing of Phyllis Reed on HEDIR. As you and Pat described, Phyllis was a good friend of many health educators. She was a contemporary Ph.D. candidate of mine at SIU-C, along with large cadre of salukis. Jim Rosser, Dale Ritzel, Dick Hurley, Jim Cook, and 10-12 others were finishing their programs as we were entering the Ph.D. program. Bob Sorenson, Todd Momsen, Dale Hardt, Chuck Mason, Ron Browning, Hal Wingard, Ed Rouhlac and several others were more directly contemporary with us. We were a congenial group.

R. Buckminister Fuller (of the geodesic dome fame) was on campus at that time. Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, was a president’s scholar. Mark inspired the creation of the course: Human Relations between the Sexes, which was taught initially by faculty from the Department of Health Education with support of five graduate assistants. The enrollment for this course was approximately 300 per quarter while I was involved with it. Phyllis loved interacting with everyone.

Phyllis and I kept in contact over the years, both through meeting at professional conferences and an occasional visit by me to the University of Nevada-Reno while Phyllis chaired the Department of Health and Sociology (I believe this was the title of her department). As Mark noted, Phyllis was a devoted diciple of Bob Russell. She was always eager to share updates about Bob, Lenore and their five children.

Phyllis will be missed by many, both fellow professionals and students she mentored. She was a caring friend and an inspiring teacher/mentor.

Bill Cissell

The news of the passing of Phyllis Reed is indeed sad. As Pat Hanson told me, Dr. Reed was very supportive of the HEDIR and mentioned how much it brought the profession together—especially since she has been in a region of the country in which there has traditionally been so few health educators. As the HEDIR does so well, it brings a humanity to the profession. She was always charming to me and was very proud of her Saluki heritage and her admiration of Bob Russell. We’ll miss her…I’ll miss her.

Mark J. Kittleson, PhD, FAAHB, FAAHE
Professor and Head
New Mexico State University
kittle@nmsu.edu
575-646-8194
‘We ARE Public Health’

I just got off the phone with Margaret Black, (remember Jill and her stories of “mother and daddy”) I told Margaret that she has a very large family that she may have never met, but we are sharing wonderful memories. I read a few of them over the phone to her tonight and she just kept saying how much this helped her. I said that Jill would have never been the friend that she was to to me, had they not raised her such a wonderful woman.

Lonnie and Margaret were happy to know that their daughter has touched so many lives. People they may never meet, but are now aware that Jill will live on in the hearts of us all. I told them that we loved Jill and we love them. Let’s remember them not just this week, but as thoughts of Jill pass through your memories, send them a card…let them know how much you loved their daughter. I had to of course tell Margaret & Lonnie that they made one hellava woman. They laughed, we talked more, and I hung up the phone and cried again. I am trusting all of you who knew her—let’s not forget “mother and daddy”—Jill didn’t want us too…no matter how many times she told us those stories, they were for a reason–

It has been quite a week here, one of the things most of us know is that Jill was loved by many people–I had to tell her parents tonight that some of the students she taught are looking forward to meeting “mother & daddy” because they feel like they know them–In fact one of her grad. students emailed us the powerpoint slides the funeral home posted today. I watched these slides today and felt comforted. This is what her student said:

“I found this and wanted to share it with you. I’m still shocked and saddened by this loss. I’m hoping these pictures might comfort you. They are a nice glimpse into parts of her life that we never really knew- yet knew from her many stories.”

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Jill-Black&lc=7380&pid=150766477&mid=4658113&view=photo&photoid=15914077

Sheila and I will be going to Shawnee tomorrow for the memorial service. Valerie Ubbes will be meeting us there –we will send the love of our hedir family to her parents—I don’t know who else is going, but for those who can’t be there…just remember you are in spirit–just like Jill is with us.

judy

Yuba