In lieu of our previously scheduled article, the editors of the McKendree Review would like to offer up this space to remember our beloved Dr. Betsy Gordon.
An avid supporter of Bearcat athletics and the arts, Dr. Gordon taught speech communication at McKendree University for twenty-seven years, enriching the lives of countless students with her positive outlook and unforgettable southern charm.
While there truly are no words to express how much she will be missed, we hope those of us who knew her can come together and love and support eachother a little more in her memory. Feel free to share your favorite memory of this amazing woman in the comments.
There will be a memorial service for Dr. Gordon today at noon in Bothwell Chapel for all who are able to attend.
Rest in peace, Dr. Gordon.
-McKendree Review Editors
I miss Betsy’s kind heart and relentlessly positive spirit. She will always be an inspiration to me.
She will forever be in my heart!!! One of the many McKendree family members who inspired me to reach for my dreams. Until we meet again, I will always think of you.
Dr. Gordon was my first Communication professor, my academic advisor, and my internship advisor. I still carry many of her lessons with me today. I was fortunate to be able to call Betsy my colleague when I started working at McKendree as a staff member. Betsy touched more lives than she probably realized, based on the flood of comments I have seen on my social media accounts and heard from people who knew her. She was a remarkable woman, full of passion and a love of life. Betsy loved teaching and her students, and wanted to see them grow as an individual. I will greatly miss Betsy and her caring personality! She was truly one of a kind.
Thank you for posting this. It’s a lovely tribute. Betsy had a wonderful way of connecting with every person she met. We loved seeing her in the library working on our Golden Girls puzzle with students who didn’t know her, and how easily she made them feel comfortable and cared about. She was truly a treasure of our university and we’ll all miss her.
I was in Dr. Gordon’s presidential campaign communications class my very first semester here at McKendree during the 2016 election. I remember the first day I had a conflict with my kids’ schedule and my own. After class, I walked up to her to explain why I wouldn’t be there Friday and barely got out “Dr. G, my kids don’t have school Fri-” before she interrupted me and insisted I bring them along. “There’s room at the back; they’ll be fine,” she said.
I don’t think she ever knew how much that meant to me, as I was just beginning to realize at that moment how difficult going back to school as a non-traditional student was going to be. It was like she knew I was tempted to throw in the towel, and wasn’t going to let me use this as an excuse to give up. It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve still had days where I wonder just how much more I can handle, but I’ve never once considered giving up and I owe a lot of that to Dr. Gordon.
She was such an amazing woman and I feel so lucky to have known her.
-Sophie Jeffery