Olga Nelson, a professor of teacher education at Eastern
Michigan University, died Dec. 6 while in hospice care.
She was 65.
"She was a great colleague and a great spirit, and she
will be missed," said Vernon Polite, dean of EMU's College
of Education.
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Nelson |
A scholarship has been established in her name, according
to friend and colleague Professor Linda Lewis White. Funeral
arrangements have not yet been made.
"We are all saddened by this, but Olga would not want
anyone to mourn. She wanted people to celebrate life and
did everything she could to help with that celebration," said
Lewis White.
Nelson, who came to EMU in 1991, was a storyteller and
used the art of storytelling in her classroom and to connect
with many different groups.
"I've been in a full auditorium with 300 or 400 junior
high school students and all the lights out — except
for a flashlight — and I've scared the hell out of them," Nelson
said in a profile for the EMU faculty/staff newsletter
in 1994. "And they loved it. It's magic."
Nelson received a storytelling persona she called the "Green
Witch" and would entertain audiences with scary stories
around Halloween, her favorite time of the year.
Nelson received her Ph.D. from Kent State University in
1990 and her master's degree from Case Western Reserve
(1970). She received her bachelor's degree from the University
of Buffalo in 1965.
Previous to working at EMU, Nelson was an instructor at
Kent State University and was the children's librarian
at the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland. She
also worked at the San Antonio Public Library in Texas
and Cardinal O'Hara High School in Buffalo, New York.
She was a member of several professional and academic
professional organizations, including: the International
Reading Association and the National Academic Advising
Association.
She was published, writing chapters in several books and
co-authoring "Practical Classroom Applications of Language
Experience: Looking Back, Looking Forward (1998)."
Nelson received many honors during her career. She was
recognized with the National Outstanding Advisor Award
by the National Academic Advising Association in 2000.
She also received numerous teaching honors from EMU, including
the 2001 Award for Outstanding Service and the 2003 Excellence
in Academic Advising Award.
