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Barbara Taylor, Ph.D.
The Barbara Taylor Distinguished Service Award
In September 2011, the board of directors of the North Carolina Conference of English instructors voted to rename the organization's distinguished service award the Barbara Taylor Distinguished Service Award. The award is given each year to a member of NCCEI based on contribution to the organization: "noteworthy service to CEI as a member of the Board of Directors; special service in support of CEI conferences such as program chair, local arrangements chair, and presenter at the annual CEI Fall Conference; and noteworthy contributions or innovative approaches to the teaching of English, communications, and other humanities courses."
Barbara Taylor retired from Cleveland Community College in January 2011, after 37 years of teaching and nearly 20 years as the department chair of liberal arts. In her tenure at CCC, she has been the president of Faculty Senate as well as the sponsor, state, and national president (twice) of the Gamma Beta Phi national honor society. She is the only instructor at CCC to win the college's Excellence in Teaching Award twice. She has served on the board of both CEI and TYCE-SE and has helped to organize conferences for both organizations. Additionally, as a long time breast cancer survivor, she has been very active in Cleveland County's Relay for Life campaigns.
In 2003, Barbara also began work on a Ph.D. at Indiana University in Indiana, Pennsylvania and was awarded that degree in August, 2011. Her dissertation discussed the relationships between southern daughters and their fathers as portrayed in the works of Alice Walker, Shirley Ann Grau, and Gail Godwin. That subject was close to Barbara's heart and she used that project to reflect on her own experiences growing up as a loyal and loving southern daughter.
In 2011, Barbara was awarded the Doster Award for outstanding service to TYCA-SE at its annual conference. That award honored her many years of service to TYCA-SE in many capacities, including her organization of the Greensboro Conference in 2009.
In May of 2011, Barbara suffered the first of several strokes, and in July was diagnosed with cancer. Even though she has been unable to fulfill all her retirement plans of travel and reading, she was able to go on a cruise to the Bahamas recently with her son and devoted caregiver Tamara at her side.
Barbara Taylor's life reminds us all of the self-sacrifice and dedication of community college instructors who work long hours, serve many local, state, and regional professional organizations, and quietly and devotedly teach those students who, without such committed educators, would never have the opportunity to reach their own potential. Barbara Taylor's lasting legacy is that she would want us all to value selfless dedication to teaching, to our students, and to the love for and mastery of English.
Tom Hearron
2011 Recipient Tom Hearron
Simply put, Tom Hearron is amazing. He is a long-time CEI board member and has served as the local arrangement chair for several CEI conferences. He has presented many of the CEI conferences over the past several years. And his presentations are always thoughtful, engaging, funny, and thought-provoking. The things I have learned from Tom at his presentations have helped me to become a better teacher and helped me get my students more actively involved in my classes.
I had the privilege of having a neighboring cubicle to Tom's on the Watauga campus of Caldwell CC&TI. Tom was always available for advice when I needed it and was a good listening ear when I needed to vent. I've been lucky that relationship has continued after I moved across the state for a new job at Craven CC. As many of you know, Tom was one of the founders of Caldwell's incredible WAC program. When I was tasked to help start a WAC program at Craven last year, Tom was the first person I called. But I am not the only one looking to Tom for such help. He has traveled to several college and conferences to discuss Caldwell's WAC model. A few weeks ago I was doing a WAC presentation and mentioned some grading techniques Tom had taught me. One of the instructors taking the workshop said, "Oh, you mean Tom Hearron. Man is he good!" That instructor has not met Tom before and was not an English instructor. Instead she has heard about his work through the CC grapevine.
I wish I would have come to this conference to present the award in person. I cannot think of a person who has done more for his home college, for CEI, and for the profession than Tom. Congratulations!
-Jessica Saxon, Craven Community College
The Well-Turned Word: Wondering if other faculty have the same concerns as you do?
Looking for ideas for your classes?
Wanting to plan ahead for the next CEI conference?
Find all of this in the March 2010 CEI newsletter, "The Well-Turned Word."
(.pdf) (Word '97-2003 .doc)
"Why I Attend Small Conferences" from Inside Higher Ed.
March 19, 2010 by Kevin Brown, associate professor of English at Lee University
(Included with permission of the author)
Here is a convenient list of local, regional, and national conferences & meetings relevant to English, humanities and communication faculty.
The CEI newsletter archive gives a great glimpse into the history of our organization.
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