In Memorium | School of Communication Studies | SIU

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.]