Sue Ellen Holbrook

Sue Ellen Holbrook, Ph.D, passed away peacefully at her home in Conway on Sunday, May 7, 2017. Dr. Holbrook was a resident of the Shelburne Falls area for many years.  Born in California on August 3, 1941, she pursued her love of English Literature in her home state, receiving her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D from UCLA.  A Professor of English and former Director of the Composition Program at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Sue Ellen was a member of the faculty there from 1988 until her retirement in 2014. Before coming to SCSU, Dr. Holbrook served as Assistant Professor of English at Temple University, PA, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Writing Program at Franklin and Marshall College, PA, and Associate Professor and Director of the Writing Program at Fordham University, NY. Along with Composition/Writing, her main area of specialization was Medieval Literature, and she presented her work at many conferences in the United States and Europe.  A prolific writer, she published extensively and was internationally recognized as a top scholar in the field. For many years, she was a distinguished presenter at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI, and at The International Medieval Congress (IMC) in Leeds, England. She was also a member of the Medieval Academy of America, the Conference on College Composition and Communication, The Modern Language Association of America, and the National Council of Teachers of English. As a Medievalist, she had a deep love for the literature and music of the Middle Ages, and she held a special affinity for the works of Hildegard von Bingen, whose words resonated with meaning in Sue Ellen’s life: “We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” Beyond her professional and academic accomplishments, Sue Ellen was also a master gardener who took great pride in the beautiful garden she cultivated at her home and enjoyed with her friends and her feline companions. Humble-hearted and a wise soul, Sue Ellen leaves behind a rich legacy of scholars proud to have been mentored by her. Sue Ellen Holbrook, Ph.D will be remembered as an inspirational guide to the thousands of college students to whom she taught reading and writing and to the many graduate students she initiated into the teaching profession.

 Service Information