Remembering Dr. Heilenman
1945-2009
This page has been created as an opportunity to contribute and share your remembrances of Professor Kathy Heilenman, who died peacefully on July 31, 2009 after a long battle with cancer.
If you want to submit your remembrances of Prof. Heilenman, please fill out the form below (email addresses will not be published). Scroll down to read the postings.
The memorial service for Kathy will be held this Tuesday, August 4, at 2:00 p.m. at the Old Brick Church and Community Center, 26 E. Market Street in downtown Iowa City.
For those of you who wish to make a donation in Kathy’s memory, you can send it to the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary. The URL is http://www.rollingdogranch.org/ There is a donation link on the site, where you can designate the person in whose memory you are giving the gift, as well as the name and contact information of the person who should be notified. That person is Dan O’Leary, 2928 Dubuque Street NE, Iowa City, IA 52240-7915.
NOTE: The server will not allow us to post your remembrances immediately, so please allow a couple of hours for them to post. If you don't see your post after 12 hrs, please email us.
Leave a message
Diana Davies
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 12:45:35
What a blow to hear such sad news. My heart goes out to Kathy's family and friends and to all her students and colleagues at Iowa, where I know she was and is treasured. Sadly, I never knew her before cancer. But even though she was fighting her own hard battle, she always had a way of making the atmosphere in the room lighter, making long meetings much less painful, and making difficult problems seem more like interesting challenges. I was so lucky and privileged to work with her -- such a shining light, in so many ways.
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Svetlana Dembovskaya
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 09:47:31
I am deeply grateful to Kathy for supporting me in my thesis and my projects, and for the personal advice she gave me. She was that pillar that gave me strength to continue with my research by encouraging me at all times and by showing a personal example how to persist and achieve goals. I admired her for her ability to work hard, for her unfading optimism and positive attitude, for the way she made herself approachable and cared sincerely for each and every student. I greatly miss her reassuring presence; it meant so much to me on so many levels.
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Maria Fidalgo-Eick
Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 17:42:28
What a loss... I admired Kathy greatly. She can be proud of having contributed to the shaping of language instructors who are now all over the country, and maybe the world, and will always remember her.
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Jacki Rand
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 18:17:33
Please accept my condolences on the passing of your relative and our valued community of scholars at the University of Iowa. I just returned to campus and saw this on the college website.
Kathy and I never met in person. When I, an associate professor in history, wanted to study French for a future project, she was the person who advised me. The last email we had was in the spring. We plotted out my future courses. She encouraged me. I know she valued her lecturers.
Anyone who loves dogs as much as she did apparently, is sure to rest in peace and serenity. Dog lovers are special people and I was happy to learn that she was so involved in dog life.
My best to you,
Jacki Rand
Associate Professor
Department of History
University of Iowa
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Carol Chapelle
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 15:46:50
I will always remember Kathy as constructive problem-solver extraordinaire. We will all miss her professional contributions as well as her can-do spirit. Fortunately, she was in a position to teach many of us by word and by example so her spirit will continue to have a positive effect on the profession, even though we miss her.
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Binnan Gao
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 14:30:34
I still keep a copy of the email that Kathy wrote to notify me of the acceptance into the FLARE program. I also have a copy of my dissertation with her signature. I am one of many FLARE students whom she welcomed into the FLARE program, and whom she guided through this hard and yet fulfilling experience, and feel very grateful for her.
Not only am I grateful, but I admire her as a mentor and a great human being.
Kathy, you set us a good role model and we will never forget you.
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Kevin Moyer
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 09:00:34
I was shocked and saddened to learn of Kathy's passing. I knew Kathy through Bouviers. I was new to the breed in the 90s and Kathy was incredibly helpful in helping me learn about the breed. Kathy even allowed us to put our Sonny in a pen with her sheep to give us a taste of what herding was all about. It looked like a rodeo, but Kathy was very encouraging and answered all of our questions with her usual wit and grace. Thank you Kathy for being there for us all.
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Elizabeth Deifell
Kathy’s last year in FLARE overlapped with my first. I am a graduate student, and she was my teacher.
Kathy was our mentor who taught through example. A strong woman, she told stories of standing on the plains in the Iowa winter. She would remind us that we should be strong too and build strong arguments to convince even the biggest skeptic. Her teaching style in the classroom was so laid back and collaborative, that when she pushed hard, finding holes in individual arguments, it was a bit surprising. In order to convince her we had to respond to her trainer’s whistler by running, jumping hurdles, running, running, stopping, turning and running again. She played Devil’s Advocate incredibly well to make us better, to teach us. It was frustrating sometimes, wasn’t it?
Kathy was driven by a true passion for language learning and for teaching language and teaching teachers of language. She always commented on e-mails, postings. Kathy was always curious about new perspectives and truly enjoyed sharing tales of language learning and of language teaching.
Kathy’s language was simple yet rich. She was from Kentucky, close to North Carolina, my home. She demonstrated that accents are something to be celebrated, as evidence of the diversity and richness of the English language, which serves as an amazing lingua franca around the globe. Kathy’s language was generally very direct, deliberate, and clear. There was no time to dilly-dally.
Here are some of the things that I learned from Kathy:
Never whine.
Thank God we can’t be good at everything. It’s important to know where we should best spend our time.
Take projects, and the construction of arguments, one step at a time.
When you walk in the snow, do so with confidence and deliberateness. By the way, the deep snow is sometimes safer than the newly cleared path.
Dress practically. You never know when you’ll have to push a car or walk.
There is no good reason to jump off a bridge, not even losing your data. Losing your data would suck, but it wouldn’t suck that bad.
Even if you generally prefer pastels, it’s fun to wear red every once in a while. But…make sure that it’s the right shade of red.
Eggs are a quick, affordable and healthy source of food. You can even feed the leftovers to your dog.
It’s helpful to have a comfortable couch. There are many nights in graduate school spent there.
Enjoy life: time with your family, friends, colleagues and pets.
Pet your dog more often.
Publishing companies can throw great parties at conferences.
Don’t be naïve.
Acupuncture is worth it.
Know how to fall on your ass rather than on your face because it’s slippery out there.
The last words spoken to me by Kathy in the classroom were: “But you’re learning so much.”
That’s because she taught me and continues to teach me.
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Lucia Osa-Melero
Wednesday, August 05, 2009 at 09:11:43
I was never in her class, but I have heard amazing things from my colleagues who were her students. I know this is a terrible loss for the field of Foreign Language Education and Second Language Acquisition Research. Kathy, thanks for all your effort, work, friendship and invaluable help to all your graduate students.
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Aroon Chatdon
Wednesday, August 05, 2009 at 01:33:04
Dr. Heilenman, I'll always remember you. You are a very good example of how to be a hard working professor. I appreciate my experience with you.
Rest in peace, Madam.
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Jane Hanson
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 18:00:01
Kathy was a strong supporter for all her graduate students, and a fine friend, with a delightful sense of humor and positive outlook on life. She worked very hard to connect with each student in her classes, and tried to tailor the experiences so that they were relevant and fruitful for all of us, not just exercises in adding knowledge. It is devastating to know she is gone. We have lost someone very special and unique and I just can't say it any better.
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Roland Racevskis
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 13:46:20
I think what I will miss most about Kathy was her clear, direct, positive thinking, whether it was applied to improving things that were already going well, or to troubleshooting. She always brought smart suggestions to the table and focused on helping people. She worked with all of our French TAs (and so many more) going through teaching and/or graduate education at the University of Iowa. There is an entire cadre of highly trained professionals out there who continue to be inspired by Kathy's teaching. What a great colleague, teacher, and person.
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Karen Fashimpaur
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 12:41:39
I was shocked to hear of Kathy's passing. I hadn't been in touch with her for a year or more...but we had often ran into each other at dog classes and herding events and she was always gracious, funny, honest and supportive. It will be sad to attend doggy things and not see her face there.
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Carol Freeman
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 11:35:09
I too knew Kathy through dogs--she taught me patience, the need to think faster than the dog and then to laugh if the run doesn't go as planned. She was generous with her time and talent and I looked forward to gaining new insight at every lesson. I know she was equally devoted to her students in her "real life" and will be missed by so many.
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Soojung Lee
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 11:00:34
To Kathy,
You have showed me how to teach, how to care students, and more importantly, how to live as a human being. You were a great role model for me. I already miss you.
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Elena Osinsky
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 09:50:36
Dear Kathy,
Thank you for touching my life and believing in us. Please forgive me and rest in peace.
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Sunny DeYoung
Monday, August 03, 2009 at 17:49:06
I knew Kathy through Bouviers. As with so many of Kathy's dog friends, I took for granted that any question, no matter how small, would engender a quick and succinct reply via email or, if she felt it was necessary, a phone call. She was an excellent and complete person. We will miss her wry humor, her quick wit and the warmth she carried with her. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to Dan and her family.
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Jenn Berger
Monday, August 03, 2009 at 09:48:31
I was friends with Kathy outside of the U. Like Tracey, Kathy and I did dog stuff together. Congratulated during the good times, supported, through the bad "runs" at trials. She was a great friend, but also someone I looked up to and learned from. Her patience was *almost* infinite. (I do know of one person that even tried her patience.) :) She also taught me that being my ultra direct self is not always the best way to deal with things. Even in the last few months, as the pain was getting bad, she and Mary came down to my farm to work dogs. Kathy would make it up and down my hills just to see her dogs happy. She was so strong and tough, all without complaint. I miss you, dear friend.
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Kerry Driscoll
Monday, August 03, 2009 at 08:41:57
I am so sorry to hear of Kathy's passing. She was a mentor in the true sense of the word. She always made time to share her knowledge, resources and ideas with her students. Yet what I will remember most about Kathy was her infectious laugh and genuine, good humor that seemed to accompany her no matter the circumstance. I so enjoyed knowing her and learning from her. I send my sympathies to her family and dear friends.
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Bill Reisinger
Monday, August 03, 2009 at 08:23:28
I will miss Kathy greatly. I was always deeply impressed by her creativity and dedication to her students' learning. The FLARE graduate program has made a huge contribution to the UI since Kathy and some colleagues organized it in the 1990s. She was so generous with her time in making sure that FLARE students were well served, even though much of the work came on top of her departmental duties. And she was always a pleasure to deal with--consistently pleasant and interesting.
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Joshua Thoms
Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 23:19:24
It is hard to believe that Kathy is no longer with us. However, I'm comforted knowing that she is now resting in peace and not dealing with pain. When I think about Kathy, one thing that sticks out in my mind is that she appeared to keep everything in balance. It was clear that she was a dedicated faculty member for many departments and programs over the years. However, at the same time, she thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her dogs and family. I appreciated her unique style of teaching and valued her input on course projects. She will certainly be missed, but not forgotten.
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Sue Hildebrandt
Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 21:00:40
Kathy will be missed after having touched so many lives in so many ways. So many communities will have a large vacuum to fill now that she has passed on.
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Tracey McPherson
Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 20:10:09
I knew Kathy outside of the U of I-through our love od dogs. We would train together, trial together, cry together and laugh together. She was an inspiration to all. Her streanth and courage was magnificant. I already miss not calling/emailing her all about my dogs latest runs and how great she did and what she needs to work on. Kathy, I miss you. Much love and hugs.
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Ariana Mikulski
Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 17:30:48
Kathy was my professor for several courses and served as my dissertation advisor. As the years progressed, she also became my friend. Whether it was housetraining a puppy, figuring out jobs as a member of a dual academic couple, or conquering morning sickness, she offered as much empathy and good advice on what was going on in my life as she did for matters of SLA. Most recently, I enjoyed relating to her as a fellow mom, sending news and pictures of my daughter.
There is so much that Kathy has taught me over the years:
Be practical: I'll never forget that Kathy told me not to wear heels to graduation because the steps are steep at Carver Hawkeye. She was right--I am glad I followed her advice, which is why I am passing it along! This is just one example of her great common sense.
Be positive: Kathy was able to see the bright side in just about everything. I remember the first draft of my results chapter that I handed in to her: 80 mind-numbing pages of everything you ever wanted to know about my data, plus a whole lot that was unnecessary. I knew when I handed it in that I had probably gone overboard. Kathy read it all and kindly told me that this draft was a good thing because it showed that I knew everything about my data, and that now I could set about the work of paring it down!
Take the time to get to know people: Kathy would start her weekly classes with an icebreaker-type question for everyone to answer. This is how I got to know her and my classmates better, learning that many of us had something in common in addition to SLA, which strengthened our friendships. I will always remember Kathy when I eat Pop Tarts (her typical breakfast!) or when Lida, Joshua, and I talk about our favorite bands.
These lessons, along with the many others I learned from Kathy, have helped me to become a better scholar and person. I hope to carry them with me throughout my life and will always remember her when I do.
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Alicia Brown
Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 13:41:39
I didn't know Kathy personally. However, she gave me a wonderful gift. I had asked as an emeritus professor, if I could sit in on an intensive French class. She said, why, of course! It was the best learning opportunity of my later life and I owe it to her.
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Laura Dallas
Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 11:16:09
Kathy, I feel privileged to have known you and I will miss you. Thank you so much for all your advice and help with my dogs.
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Nobuaki Takahashi
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 22:04:43
Kathy was an extraordinary professor, adviser, person, and friend. Her class was the very first one that I took in my graduate studies and, as all of us feel the same way, she was my inspiration.
All of my respect and love for you. Kathy, you will never be forgotten.
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Liz Hallinan
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 18:11:52
Kathy was one of the first people I met when I came to visit the campus in 2005. I was lucky enough to take a class with her, and remember her talking about how the money from the textbook was just enough to buy herself a new fence! It was clear that so much of what she did was a labor of love. She adored teaching, and was the solid bridge between the language departments and the COE. She will be remembered and greatly loved, always.
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David Byrd
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 17:46:15
Kathy was a fantastic professor and person. I remember her not being satisfied with just doing, but was willing to try new ideas and move forward. She had a fantastic outlook on life. I remember her saying once in class that "As long as I have a roof over my head and enough to eat, everything else is frosting." That said a lot about how she approached life personally and professionally. We will never forget her.
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Milica Savic
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 15:48:05
Kathy will be sorely missed - not just at the University of Iowa but in Serbia as well. She was a truly wonderful person. May her soul rest in peace.
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Marina Kostina
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 15:37:42
Kathy was one of the most amazing professors in my life. The skills that she has shared with me have helped me so much in my profession. So many times I have gone to my notebook from the Material Development class to find yet another wise suggestion or advice that I could apply next day in my classroom. Every educational program I have ever created led me back to that notebook from my senior grad school year. Her incredibly positive spirit, her smile and her kind eyes- she trully inspired her students. I have been learning French for the past several months, using Kathy's book Voila. It is very sad to see her go, but that is how great people continue living among us-- with their great energy and amazing work that brings growth, light and life .... Thank you, Kathy.
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Zoliswa Mali
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 14:01:18
It is sad to hear that Kathy has departed, but what an example of strength, positive attitude and courage she was! In 2000 when I did SLA 1 she explained to our class medical markings on her neck, and possible skin color changes we might observe, telling us to not be afraid as she was fine but was undergoing cancer treatment. She would say all of this in a light-spirited manner, with a smile. I remember how she wrote us all last summer saying she would keep on keeping on (in spite of her condition);...demonstration of a zeal for life and strength! She loved FLARE; I remember how she came out of hospital to come and sit me through some statistical corrections in my dissertation on a Saturday in 2007 after my defense. It was incredible to watch someone entertaining no self-pity and choosing to work so sacrificially for the good of her students. She was my adviser. I remember how she spent time walking me through my Study Plan; calm and ready with encouragement for one to follow the path they felt drawn to in FLARE; encouraging innovation and interdisciplinary study, hence I ended up with a split focus. Thank you Kathy for supporting my choice! I also took her Speaking, as well as Materials Development classes, which I enjoyed. She encouraged camaraderie and team spirit. She would have the hilarious classmate name quizzes! You had to interact with each other, ask and take notes of each other's names, favorite colors where each came from, which built a lasting warm class dynamic right away. She has fought the good fight and now her battle is over! May her soul rest in peace.
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Carol Severino
Saturday, August 01, 2009 12:38 PM
I will really miss Kathy. Almost everything I know about the bases of SLA is from taking the first SLA I class with her along with the first FLARE students. She was such a great teacher and researcher and carefully planned excellent and enjoyable small group learning activities for us. She worked tirelessly to create and maintain FLARE, and executed many tedious administrative tasks without complaining. She is a great role model for us.
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Karen McRitchie
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 12:25:57
I knew Kathy outside of the university. She was my mentor as we worked dogs together and shared a love of Bouviers. She was talented and generous in that arena, always willing to help others with their dogs. As I aspired to change careers and become a professor, she was someone that I admired in her career as well, and it has pushed me to get started on my next journey as a teacher. She was wise, patient, generous and always willing to give advice. When we first started working together with dogs, my German shepherd had done something really stupid and she walked over and picked this 100lb dog up by the scruff and said "Son, you are really being stupid!" He respected her much after that moment. There are some who leave a little light in each of us that they touch and she is one f those. The earth is a little dimmer now that your light is gone, but we each have a small part of you. I am glad your rest is here Kathy, watch over us.
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Chiemi Hanzawa
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 10:52:39
Kathy was an inspiration to me, to all of us. She taught me not only how to become a language teacher and a scholar, but also how to be a good person by showing us who she was. She was always encouraging, caring, strong, passionate, and positive. She will be missed so much.
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Gonzalo Campos
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 09:39:14
A lot of love for you, dear Kathy.
Gonzalo
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Rebeca Bataller
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 07:28:06
Kathy was truly one of the most wonderful persons I have ever met. I have always admired her very positive attitude towards anything that came up and her great energy at all times.
Not only was she the best adviser ever, and a great scholar and professor, but a very genuine person. I really do miss her.
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Akiko Hagiwara
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 00:49:35
Dear Kathy,
Since I was admitted to FLARE, I always enjoyed all courses you offered and learned so much
from each course - not only the content of the courses, but also how to deal with hardships and how to pursue
our goals. You have taught us to have long term perspectives beyond daily academic work.
And, best of all, I learned from you that the importance of staying positive and looking ahead under any circumstances.
When I got overwhelmed by many tasks, I always remember what you told us: just do one thing
first. This word has kept me move forward over the past years including the times when I was
frustrated. Because of the lesson I learned from you, I try to stay positive even this
extremely sad moment. I am very glad that I am one of your students.
Love always,
Akiko
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Erica
Saturday, August 01, 2009 at 00:36:30
I knew Kathy in two different capacities: as a professor and as a mentor/coordinator of the TAs in the French department. As so many others have pointed out, Kathy was a fabulous and innovative professor and always made sure that everyone was learning and enjoying her class. I took the first SLA class with her during my first semester at Iowa and I truly enjoyed it. It was fascinating and Kathy was always willing to go out of her way to help me whenever I needed it. I also was lucky enough to have Kathy as a mentor last year as a TA in the French department, and I honestly think I would have never made it through that first year of teaching without her willingness to help, educate, and really just take the time to talk to me whenever I needed her. She was honestly a fountain of information and had ideas, wisdom, and advice for everything! Although I only knew her for one short year, I will always remember her as a great professor and a fantastic person. She will be missed by all of us and was an inspiration for everyone who had the chance to work with her.
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Lyudmila Klimanova
Friday, July 31, 2009 at 22:08:15
Kathy was an great inspiration to me. I will never forget her smile and her always positive attitude. Her teaching stories were so inspiring, she always had a plan of action, she was The Mentor who was able to help bring up the best in her students. You will be so very much missed by all FLAREs, Kathy. Rest in peace. Lyudmila
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Anna Kolesnikova
Friday, July 31, 2009 6:15 PM
Kathy was a great -- GREAT! -- teacher. I knew the first time I walked into her class that she was one of the warmest, most vibrant professors I had ever had. Her sweet smile and hearty laugh made every student feel welcome and we always looked forward to her sharing some of the many "teacher stories" that she had. They were tales about things that had happened to her or her colleagues and they were invaluable lessons in teaching and education. And whenever she began telling one of these stories, all of us students would immediately start writing in our notebooks all the great ideas that we could use in our teaching. I learned so much from her. She helped me to broaden my views on teaching and learning. I will miss her immensely.