Barbara K. Townsend
COLUMBIA — Barbara K. Townsend is remembered by her colleagues as being a consummate professional.
"She gave 110 percent to her students until the very last days," said Jeni Hart, an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership and policy analysis at MU.
Ms. Townsend joined the department in 1999 and served as director of the MU Center for Community College Research.
In addition to her work with the university, she was the president-elect for the Association for the Study of Higher Education until her illness prevented her from serving, according to Hart. She was active in working with transfer students, especially students who were transferring from community colleges to four-year universities.
The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students is establishing the Barbara K. Townsend Dissertation Award for doctoral students studying transfer students, Hart said.
Ms. Townsend also did a lot of work with women's issues in higher education, Hart said. She received a special honor this year for her work.
Ms. Townsend died Thursday, June 11, 2009. She was 65. Ms. Townsend had cancer of the bile duct which ultimately spread to her liver.
She was born on Jan. 28, 1944, to Vivian Edna and Robert Townsend. She received a bachelor's degree in English in 1965 and a master's degree in English honors in 1967 from the State University of New York in Albany. She completed her doctorate in higher education administration at the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1984.
Before teaching at MU, Ms. Townsend taught basic English and freshman composition from 1974 to 1976 at Towson University in Maryland. She worked as an associate dean and an associate professor at Loyola University in Chicago after earning her doctorate. She also worked at the University of Memphis from 1993 to 1998 where she was a full professor, served as the department chair for three years and served as associate dean for three years.
Ms. Townsend authored or edited 10 books and special journals and published more than 40 articles between 1976 and 2009.
In addition to her professional achievements, Ms. Townsend was an avid reader who especially loved mysteries and thrillers, Hart said.
She is survived by her husband Norman C. Gysbers of Columbia; a son, Robert T. Lilga of Temple Terrace, Fla.; a sister, Shari LaMay of Summerfield, Fla.; a half-sister, Anne Maldoon of Casper, Wyo.; a stepdaughter, Debra Landes of Overland Park, Kan.; and a stepson, Daniel Gysbers of Columbia.
Services, conducted by the Rev. Paula Robinson, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Calvary Episcopal Church, 123 S. Ninth St.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Barbara K. Townsend Memorial Scholarship Fund at 114 Hill Hall, College of Education, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. Online tributes may be posted at heartlandcremation.com.
