In Memoriam

Thomas Jennings Pace Jr., Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, died June 18, 2024, at his home in Turlock, CA, surrounded by family. He was born on June 22, 1929, in Wichita Falls, Texas, and grew up in neighboring Iowa Park, a small rural town in North Texas. His father, Thomas J. Pace Sr., was a prominent pioneer of Wichita County, and his mother, Perle Ernestine Burkhead Pace, was a teacher in the Iowa Park Schools. In his youth, Tom worked on the family farm, and developed his leadership and speaking skills in various Methodist church groups. These experiences led him to enroll at Southwestern University, a Methodist University, in Georgetown, TX, where he received his Bachelor (1949) and Master (1953) Degrees in Speech and Theater. He earned his PhD in 1957 from the University of Denver in Rhetoric and Public Address after successfully defending his dissertation “Dynamics Found in Small Group Discussion.” At University of Denver, he was one of the early Teaching Assistants to be a part of Dr. Elwood Murray’s “Lab in Interpersonal Communication.” An emerging interest in the intersection of Philosophy and Communication led him to a Post-Doc appointment at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where he studied Existentialism and Phenomenology of Communication with Dr. William A. Earle from 1963-1965.

In 1965, Tom began his 29 years at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale where he was instrumental in establishing concentrations in Philosophy of Communication and Political Communication in the Department of Speech Communication. These two concentrations were designated as official interest groups at the International Communication Association conference in Berlin in 1977, as proposed by him and colleagues Dr. Keith Sanders and Dr. Richard Lanigan. Pace was elected President of the Faculty Senate for two terms (1971-73) during a time of nationwide instability. During the Vietnam War protests on campus, Tom helped stabilize campus unrest as President of the Faculty Senate by codeveloping University Working Papers approved by the faculty. He was the Director of Departmental Graduate Students in Speech Communication for 20 years and was involved in developing Field Studies as a research modality. Later he was instrumental in creating Philosophical methodologies, especially those considered Phenomenological. In his 29 years at SIUC, he directed 50 Doctoral dissertations and was on 276 dissertation committees. His teaching and research interests were in Philosophy of Communication, Rhetoric and Public Address, General Semantics, Psychodrama, Political Communication, Phenomenology, Semiotics, Sociometry, and Interpersonal Communication. 

He felt his greatest recognition was being included in Communication Quarterly’s “Great Teacher in the Communication Classroom.” He was honored by the National Communication Association with the prestigious Wallace Bacon Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award and was later inducted into the Central States Communication Association Hall of Fame for his contributions “to the discipline of communication through meritorious scholarship, teaching/mentoring, participation at conventions, and service to the association.” In the following years, SIU honored Tom with an award in his name for excellence in graduate student teaching, the Thomas Pace Outstanding Teacher Award.

After his retirement in 1994, Tom was active for several years in the Illinois Speech and Theater Association, becoming president in 2000. He was thrilled to be surrounded by creative high school teachers allowing him to relive the vitality of his early teaching years. ISTA presented him with the Edith Harrod Award and later the WP Sandford Award. Tom felt these years served as a punctuation for his contribution to the field of Speech Communication. Moreover, they served to remind Tom of the wonderful colleagues and students who gave rich meaning to his life. For his colleagues and students, the profound appreciation has been mutual.

Tom maintained an impressive collection of notes from former students and colleagues filled with gratitude for his impact on their lives inside and outside of the classroom. Common themes among the sentiments are that Tom taught them: processes for perceiving the world differently, thereby sharpening their understanding not only of others but themselves; the importance of approaching the world with wonder rather than certainties that stymie one’s growth; and the invaluable worth of coming to understand what it means to be human. Even with all of the recognition he received over his lifetime, his effect on others is immeasurable.

Tom and his wife, Tommye, moved from Carbondale to Turlock, CA in 2013 to be near their daughter Jennifer and her family, where she and her husband John teach at California State University, Stanislaus. He and Tommye celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2023.

Tom is survived by his wife Tommye Kaye Pace, along with two sons and a daughter, Dr. Thomas Pace III (Dee and daughters Katie Pace, Coatney Cobble, Kendall Monroe, Calley Jones, and Caroline Murphy), of Houston, TX; John Bradley Pace (Jennifer), of Washington D.C.; Dr. Jennifer Pace Wittman (John and sons James and Ethan) of Turlock, CA; and thirteen great-grandchildren. He is proceeded in death by a daughter, Dr. Patricia Pace (Richard Flynn) of Statesboro, GA. He is also survived by a brother, Robert K. Pace (Doyleen) of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, two nephews and four nieces. 

Memorials can be sent to the Southern Illinois University Foundation to be entered in the Patricia Pace Memorial Endowment devoted to the Patti Pace Performance Festival. To donate online visit: https://siuf.org/give/. Under the “designation” field, type “Patricia Pace” and click on “Patricia Pace Memorial Endowment Fund.”

The School of Communication Studies is saddened to share news that Dr. Marion Kleinau, Professor Emeritus, passed away in the early morning hours of March 7, 2024, at the age of 98. 

Marion Davis was born on January 6, 1926, in Independence, MO. Before pursuing higher education, she worked as a dental technician, and while earning her A.A. from Graceland College in 1948, she worked as an account clerk for Monarch Life Insurance Co. She then decided to continue her education, and earned her B.S.Ed. from Central Missouri State College in 1952, and her M.S. from Louisiana State University in 1954. In her early college years, she began as a geology major because of her love for rocks and gems. However, as she explained in a March 2000 interview with then-student Elizabeth Donoghue, “that was just a very brief sojourn; when I got into the math I decided no.”  She joined SIU’s Department of Speech Communication (now School of Communication Studies) in 1959 in an instructor position, as Ms. Marion Davis, and SIU became her homeplace.  Soon after, in 1961, she completed her dissertation on dance and theatre at the University of Wisconsin, with a focus on modern dance. She then became Dr. Marion Kleinau. She was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1968, and very shortly thereafter earned the title of Professor (1972).  

Her academic degrees were (and are) a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, much less for a woman, especially at that time. While she didn’t consider herself a feminist, she did explain that as a woman, she learned that “you have to stand up for yourself, you have to be strong.  You have to be able to do your thing and look them in the eye.” If you knew Dr. Kleinau, you know that she did just that! 

While at SIU, she focused on oral interpretation of literature, creative dramatics, theatre, communication, oral traditions, and storytelling. Throughout her time, she served on at least 33 masters and PhD committees, directed at least three masters theses, and at least 34 dissertations. She held positions on nearly 20 committees at SIU, and nearly 20 committees with state, regional, and national professional associations, including as the President of the Illinois Speech and Theatre Association, from which she received the Outstanding Service Award and Lifetime Membership in 1976. She received recognition through a great deal of invited workshops and consultancies, and presented countless papers and performances throughout the country. In addition, she was on a number of grant-funded projects, totaling nearly $100,000. Her peer-reviewed publications can be found in journals such as Speech Teacher (now Communication Education), Speech Monographs (now Communication Monographs), and Literature in Performance (now Text and Performance Quarterly). In 1980, she co-wrote Theatre for Literature: A Practical Aesthetics for Interpreters Theatre, with Janet McHughes. 

In 1960, she presented her first show on SIU’s campus, “The Little Prince.” After years of producing and directing other shows and performances in a variety of found performance spaces around campus and in the surrounding community, Dr. Kleinau grew interested in securing a permanent performance space for her and her students’ work.  Thus, in 1965, she founded the Caliper Stage on the second floor of the Communications Building, titled as such because, as Dr. Kleinau described, “like an old fashioned measuring instrument called a calipre, the performance could wrap around three sides of the audience, if we so chose.”  The Caliper was the first space devoted entirely to the production of non-dramatic literature.  She considered the Caliper to be her “labor of love.”  “I spent many, many hours back there sewing curtains and doing a lot of drudge work,” she explained.  She recalled that when they were constructing the Communications Building, they never completed the part of the building behind the department offices.  She had an (unnamed) student who liked “to build theatres, and he was a little bit of a thief.”  This student found construction materials across campus, with which they built the first set of risers.  (In other sources, Dr. Kleinau describes that she “found” some of these materials. . .  whether they were thieved or they were found is likely a matter of perspective.) They used empty vegetable cans with lights in them, and put up fire proof curtains. Another student of hers had some knowledge of lights, and built a light board. “I think the greatest thing about that space was that we allowed students to go in there.  We had to have confidence in the student that they could put together a script and direct it in a way that they would have a good audience experience, because we were building a reputation with the public.”  “In White America” was the first production in the Caliper Stage. A particularly proud moment for Dr. Kleinau and her students was mounting the first ever production of Lord of the Rings, which included all three books, performed on three consecutive nights, on two different weekends. 

She was a key figure in putting the School of Communication Studies in the national spotlight for oral interpretation, and now performance studies. This was, in part, because of the relationships she built with colleagues across the country.  For example, she worked with Tom Sloan from the University of Illinois to organize and hold poetry and interpretation festivals in area locations like Little Grassy.  In addition, Dr. Kleinau was interested in the intersections of non-dramatic literature adaptation, and approaches such as phenomenology, ethnography, and intercultural communication. 

Throughout her years at SIU, she produced twenty original script adaptations for readers theatre at SIU.  "My greatest desire was always to create a theater for the oral performance of good literature. That dream was realized when the ‘Calipre Stage’ was built out of odds and ends in an empty space behind the department. In that theater many oral interp. students found a home as they progressed to their degree at all levels. I was also pleased and supported in the development of literary genre courses, script creation, and of course the staging of performance. The result of these courses was experiment with developing theory and experimenting with literary form and its performance."   

She had exceedingly high regard for the students in her life, who she often referred to as her kids. She recalled, “I’ve had some really beautifully creative kids.”  Given the incredible mark she left not only on SIU, but on the discipline of Communication Studies, and in particular, on performance studies, the SIU Board of Trustees voted on Thursday, April 12, 1990, to rename the Caliper Stage to the Marion Kleinau Theatre. The first show in the Marion Kleinau Theatre, and Dr. Kleinau’s last show before retirement, was “Morgana,” which centered on Morgana LeFey, the sister or half-sister of a man remembered today as King Arthur. 

Dr. Kleinau’s generosity manifested in many ways, including the Marion Kleinau Suite of Literature Awards. This suite of awards promotes and rewards excellence in the adaptation and performance of non-dramatic material with literary merit which calls forth the best in human potential. The Suite of awards includes substantial monetary support for three different awards: The Marion Kleinau Achievement Award for an SIU student, the Marion Kleinau Literature in Performance Award for an SIU production, and the Marion Kleinau National Scripting Award, open to qualified productions across the nation. These awards are key in maintaining the relevance of literature in performance, supporting both new and seasoned scholars in performance studies, and promoting the valuable contributions of literature in performance as an aesthetic form. 

Marion spent her last days being cared for at Manor Court in Carbondale. Her busy room was filled with those who loved her sitting with her, talking with her, and simply being in her presence. Dr. Kleinau is survived by her dear sister Lila, and countless friends and students/kids. Indeed, these chosen family members remained a constant for her. And it was a blessing that her sweet cat and her small dog (AKA “her boy”) were able to visit her.   

Dr. Kleinau was at the side of her beloved Marvin when he passed on November 22, 2021.  The Drs. Kleinau wished to be celebrated together after both had passed.  In keeping with their wishes, the School of Communication Studies will hold a celebration of their lives and contributions in June, at the Marion Kleinau Theatre. More details will be released as we have them; there will be opportunities for both in-person and virtual attendance and participation. 

The School of Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is so sad to share the news that our dear friend, colleague, and teacher, Dr. Bryan Crow, professor emeritus in Communication Studies, transitioned from this life early afternoon on September 28, 2019. He held the hands of both of his children, Anthony Howard-Crow and Molly Howard-Crow, and was surrounded by their partners, his grandchildren, and other loving family members.

As many of us know, Bryan fought his battle with cancer so steadfastly, and with a spirit of positivity that filled our hearts and will not be forgotten. Always one to share a smile and a piece of his quick wit or dry, lovable humor, Bryan was seen at the office even up to the last few weeks, though he retired back in June.

Dr. Bryan Crow joined the Communication Studies department (then Speech Communication) in 1981 as an instructor, moving onto the tenure track in 1982 and being promoted to Associate Professor in 1988. In 2013, he became cross-appointed in both Linguistics, and in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His course on Irish Culture was one of the more popular courses for many years in the University Honors Program, as were his study abroad trips to Ireland in collaboration with SIU's Forestry Department. Throughout his time as an academic, he participated in conferences local, regional, national and international, and published in outlets such as the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Journalism Monographs, and Media, Culture and Society. Dr. Crow sat on nearly 40 masters committees, over 100 dissertation committees, and directed over 30 masters and doctoral projects.

Those outside of academia may know him best as the host of the internationally-syndicated NPR show, Celtic Connections, where he took to the airwaves each Saturday night to showcase his love of the music of the Celtic tribes. This past weekend's show was particularly touching, with its mixture of music and poetry. Through his radio show, he brought much attention to a variety of artists both in the U.S. and worldwide, and did so since 1991. However, he didn't just showcase the music of others; Bryan was a member of a local Irish band, the Dorians, for nearly 30 years, an ensemble that enjoys great fame throughout the region.

During his years in southern Illinois, Bryan received several grants from Carbondale Community Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois Humanities Council, and Carbondale Tourism. He received multiple awards and honors, including an induction into the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society, and the Carbondale Community Arts Legacy Award. He served for many years as a Delegate of the Word and musician at Church of the Good Shepherd, United Church of Christ, in Carbondale, Illinois, and could be found regularly at Harbaugh’s Café.

Dr. Crow touched many lives, largely through his dedication to his students; he loved teaching, and showed an enormous commitment to his students' success. Our hearts go out to his family and friends both near and far.

A service to share in our grief, and celebrate Bryan's life, is scheduled for Saturday, October 5 at 11:00 AM, at Church of the Good Shepherd in Carbondale. Immediately following the service will be a potluck, music playing, and storytelling. His family writes: "Please feel welcome to bring a potluck dish to share, to bring your instruments if you are a player, and any memories you would like to share of Bryan. We know Bryan would love nothing more than a lively music session following his service! Childcare will be provided. Please feel free to share this post."

The School of Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is heartbroken to share the news that beloved friend, colleague, teacher, advisor, and mentor, Dr. Suzanne Daughton, passed away on Saturday, February 1, 2020.

Dr. Daughton joined the Communication Studies department at SIU in 1990, after receiving her PhD in rhetorical studies from the University of Texas, Austin. Prior to that, she completed her masters degree in rhetorical studies also at UTA, and her BA in English (Literature and Rhetoric) from State University of New York at Binghamton in 1985.

She was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997, and was also cross-appointed in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at SIU. Her professional interests included rhetorical criticism, rhetoric of social movements, gender and sexuality, and political communication. She was active in her professional associations, including the National Communication Association and Western States Communication Association. In addition to numerous publications, conference presentations, and creative contributions, she co-authored a well-known rhetoric textbook, Modern Rhetorical Criticism. She retired from SIU in June of 2018.

She was most recently known for her work in compassionate communication, which was both a research area and personal practice. Throughout the last two decades, she attended several trainings and retreats on nonviolent communication and conscious living. She developed a course on compassionate communication that was a popular course taught in the department since 2007, and inspired her students to approach others by leading with compassion. For six years, she taught a similar course adapted for young people at Carbondale New School. This was no surprise, as Dr. Daughton lived a life full of such compassion and grace. She was also known in the school for emphasizing the need to care for oneself and to embrace one’s emotions as a powerful force for good. Not only did Dr. Daughton provide the tools to practice self-care, but she embodied what it means to care for herself and others. She regularly led a workshop in self-care for graduate students; throughout the workshop, students worked on responding to others compassionately and caring for the self. Onlookers peeking in would witness discussions of how to be kind to one’s body, people dancing with abandon, and “flocks” of attendees crossing the stage in their best bird impression. She consistently attended meetings with a box of tissues and a bottle of natural hand sanitizer—and would readily share both with anyone who may have a need. She previewed her workshops and classes by happily warning new folks that she cried easily, and if we saw her crying, we should “not worry about me, I’m OK.”

Dr. Daughton’s students and colleagues recognized her stellar teaching and mentoring, evidenced through the awards she received. These included the Mentoring Award from the University Women’s Professional Advancement (SIUC, 2014), the Feminist Teacher-Mentor Award from the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender (2010), the Outstanding Teacher Award from the College of Liberal Arts (SIUC, 2010), the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Department of Speech Communication (SIUC, 2009 and 1998), and the Outstanding New Teacher Award from the Central States Communication Association (1994).

Her advisees came to cherish her mentorship, and one of the great joys in her life was being in relationship with others. As an academic and a mother, she created space for those coming after her to see both as possibilities, as her young son would often accompany her to campus. Along with her scholar-parent colleagues in the late 1990s/early 2000s, she forged a path that made it a matter of course to recognize an academic space as one that includes whole people—people with families, people living lives full of joys and challenges, people who deserve grace and love. And that is how Suzanne lived her life—with grace and love for herself and others. She looked for and found joy in the everyday, whether it was a Stevie Nicks song on the radio, a lovely note that could brighten someone’s day, or beautiful flower to wear in her hair.

Mourning her loss, and taking great comfort in her memory, are her husband Dr. Nathan Stucky (they were together over 34 years and married for 28 of them), their cherished son Michael, her mother Eileen Morley, and countless family and friends across the country and around the world. A celebration of her life will take place on February 22, 2020, at 2:00 PM at the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship. Family greeting beginning at 1:00 PM, Service at 2:00, reception following.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Heifer International, International Rescue Committee, or the Women’s Center of Carbondale. An obituary appears in The Southern Illinoisan, February 4 and 5, 2020.

The School of Communication Studies is saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Marvin D. Kleinau, emeritus professor, on Monday, November 22, 2021, at the age of 92. Dr. Kleinau’s beloved wife, Dr. Marion Kleinau, was at his side.

Dr. Kleinau was born on August 31, 1929, in Geneseo Illinois. His interest in teaching led to him earning a B.S. in Education from Illinois State University in 1952, followed by an M.S. in Education from the same in 1960. After receiving his M.S. degree, he taught junior high school in Saybrook, IL, and then taught high school history and coached debate in his hometown of Geneseo, before being hired at SIU as the Director of the Forensics team with the (then) Department of Speech Communication. In 1973, he became an assistant professor, and was promoted to Associate Professor shortly after, in 1977, the same year he earned his Ph.D. in Speech Communication from SIU. He served as chair of Speech Communication from 1981, and eventually moved into the position of Acting Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts until his retirement in the early 1990s.

His teaching interests included communication education, public address, and all forensics activities, including argumentation and debate, discussion, and individual speaking. As the Director of Forensics at SIU, he led the Little Egypt Invitational Speech Festival from 1963-1977. Dr. Kleinau’s background in education served him well throughout his life. Evidence of this can be found in the numerous awards and honors for teaching, including the Pi Kappa Delta Coaching Award (1969), AMOCO Teaching Award (1978), Illinois Speech and Theatre Association Outstanding Educator Award (1978), Edith Harrod Award for Meritorious Service to Speech Education in the State of Illinois (1984), SIU Tenured and Tenure-Track Teaching Excellence Award (1978), and the SIU Distinguished Service Award (1993).

A number of offices and schools across the state of Illinois sought out Dr. Kleinau’s educational and curriculum expertise, including the Committee on Education in Illinois, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and local schools in surrounding towns such as Cairo, Freeburg, New Athens, and Mt. Vernon. He actively presented his research at the Speech Communication Association (now National Communication Association), the Central States Communication Association, and the Illinois Speech and Theatre Association. That research included a variety of book publications offering instruction on judging debate, and several journal articles such as “Scene Location in Readers Theatre: Static or Dynamic” (The Speech Teacher, 1965) co-authored with Dr. Marion Kleinau.

In a 1978 Daily Egyptian article after his Teaching Excellence Award win, Dr. Kleinau remarked that “Good teaching starts with a lot of individual exchange between teacher and student, takes a lot of time and personal involvement and should continue into a conversation that never ends.” In that same article, a former student said of Dr. Kleinau, “I had four classes with him and he was the best teacher I ever had.” Indeed, his students remember him as a kind and generous person.

To say that Dr. Kleinau was active outside the classroom at SIU is quite the understatement. In addition to his teaching duties, he served in a variety of leadership roles both at the university, and in professional associations, including:

• Chair, SIU University Academic Priorities Committee (1982-1986)
• President of the SIU Faculty Senate (1978-1979, 1980-1982)
• Chair of the SIU Undergraduate Educational Policies Committee in the late 1970s
• President, Illinois Speech and Theatre Association and the Illinois Oratory Association
• President of the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors from 1977-1978

His long-standing commitment has been to introduce students to the fascinating world of communication, so he sought out ways to do just that. In 2018-2019, Dr. Kleinau met several times with current communication studies students to understand what types of support would benefit them, as he knew that the success of today’s students is what will carry the discipline forward. To that end, and from these conversations, he recently established the Marvin D. Kleinau Communication Studies Undergraduate Advancement Endowment Fund through the SIU Foundation. This Endowment includes both a Marvin D. Kleinau Undergraduate Scholarship, meant to attract the brightest and best students to the School of Communication Studies, and the Marvin D. Kleinau Communication Studies Advancement Fund, meant to support students in their professional development activities. (It is not surprising that after each of these meetings, the students walked away feeling like they had just met with their own grandpa.) In addition to the steadfast support of the School of Communication Studies, the Kleinaus’ support of the university also includes units such as the University Museum, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, and WSIU. In 1986, Dr. Kleinau served as a moderator for an “across-the-world" telephone exchange between SIU and Moscow State University, which was broadcast on public radio stations throughout the country. He also hosted a public affairs program called “Inquiry,” along with the popular high school quiz show “Scholastic Hi-Q,” both on WSIU.

These positive marks in his academic record, though, only tell a portion of his story. Marvin took joy in serving others in the community, as well. He was a minister in the Community of Christ church (formerly Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints) and ministered throughout southern Illinois. He was also a member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of Carbondale. Those who knew Marvin remember his warmth, good-nature, and positive outlook. Over the past year, as he moved amongst hospital to rehab to assisted living facilities to his home, he sought out the good things, such as getting two desserts with his meals. Prior to the pandemic, he and Marion enjoyed their routine outings at local restaurants, where the servers knew their names and orders before they even sat down. He loved golf, watching (and critiquing) basketball and baseball on TV (he cheered especially for the Cubs, though in years when a world series win was out of the question, his loyalties went to the Cardinals), and keeping up with Saluki athletics. One knew Marvin was in the room by his boisterous laugh, his welcoming demeanor, and his uncanny ability to always see the bright side.

In a conversation with a collaborator at the SIU Foundation just a few months ago, Dr. Kleinau ended by remarking, “Life has been tough… but glorious, simply glorious.”

Our hearts go out to his dear Marion, and all those who knew and loved Dr. Kleinau.

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of our colleague and dear friend Professor John T. Warren (Ph.D., ’01), who died of complications from advanced esophageal cancer on the evening of April 2nd [2011].

Warren was an integral part of this department, and his contributions as a gifted teacher, prolific scholar and mentor were remarkable. During his short but intense career, he authored or co-authored six books, three dozen scholarly articles, a 100 or so conference presentations, and directed six masters degrees and eleven Ph.D.s.

An alumnus of this department, Warren taught at Bowling Green State University before returning to his old home. According to College of Liberal Arts Dean Alan Vaux, “John’s impressive reputation allowed us to hire him to an Associate Professor position, and he was awarded tenure and promoted to Professor in 2010. John was amazingly generous, energetic, and productive.”

According to Department Chair Nathan Stucky, “John’s bright intelligence and wit extended across the many points of contact from his relations with family, students, and friends, to his professional associations and his significant impact on his discipline.”

Warren is survived by his wife Gina and their two young sons, Elias John Warren and Isaac James Warren. He will be sorely missed.

[sentiments taken from Speak Easy, summer 2011.]