In Memory of Trudy Steuernagel, 1948-2009

''She would have gone to the ends of the earth for Sky, and I think she did.'' 

''I think that if she could, she would say, 'Let them know that I loved Sky and that Sky loved me.' ''    -Molly Merryman

 ''Neither Sky nor I will ever win the Nobel Peace Prize. Neither of us will write the great American novel. We will, however, make each other laugh. We'll challenge each other to be better people, to be a better mother and a better son. He is my dance partner and I, his. Sometimes we step on each other's toes and sometimes we navigate with great grace. I've learned when to lead and when to follow.'' -Trudy Steuernagel

 The first time I saw Trudy she was knitting.  We were in two classes together that first semester and she knitted from the beginning to the end of both.  And then, of course, she turned in this fantastic academic work.  I never saw her knit again after that first semester—even when we shared a house for a year.  But that is always the first thing I remember when I think of her.  The women in our program were very good.  It was 1970 and we had to be. Some of the professors had no idea what to make of us. There were a few mentors and role models.  There were also those who thought we didn’t belong. But there we were—part of that first group of women to attend graduate school in what had previously been predominantly male academic disciplines in large numbers.  Many of us who began graduate school between 1970-1972 in Maryland’s political science department have done very well in our professional lives.  I think all of us would acknowledge that Trudy was the best.  She was the brightest, the funniest, the most insightful, and had the biggest personality.  One could not watch her talk about political philosophy without knowing she would be a terrific teacher whom students would love.  To paraphrase Micah, she loved justice, did mercy, and walked humbly.  What better life is there than that?

Margaret Hrezo
Associate Professor and Interim Chair
Department of Political Science, Radford University

   Although I never had Trudy for a class, I have spoken to her several times... for stories for Artemis and Fusion magazines on KSU's campus and just about women's studies in general. I doubt she remembers me, but I most certainly remember her. I graduated last May, but I can't begin to tell you the importance of Trudy, Suzanne Holt, the whole WMST program have had on my life. Women, daily, me included, suffer through so many double standards... impossible complexities simply because of what's between our legs... unbearable situations that require intense amounts of strength. The sisterhood that Trudy is a part of at KSU helps so many... gives us hope.... keeps and makes us strong... shows us that we're not alone and that those complexities, those unbearable situations can all be changed... and that the power is in our hearts and minds. My thoughts and prayers are with Trudy and her family. Her strength, her message and her love as a mother are things we should all aspire to. Thank you so much for what you have done for me and so many like me.

Jackie Mantey, Assistant Editor, Columbus Monthly Magazine

I met Dr. Gertrude “Trudy” Steuernagel in spring of 2006 when I registered for her Honors section of American Political Theory. In walks this short little woman who looks nothing less than non-intimidating, and then she opened her mouth. What she lacked in stature, she made up for in voice. She had a strong, firm, resounding voice and when she laughed, it was the heartiest bellow I think I’ve ever heard. I will always remember that laugh and her smile. It was infectious. Trudy wasn’t just a “good” teacher. She was an excellent teacher. She didn’t just “teach” her students, she “engaged” them. I felt so “alive” in her classroom. Her spirit for her subjects and students was exhilarating and I looked forward to every class. I even saved my papers from her class. I dug them out of a box a few days ago and re-read her comments. I guess it made me feel closer to her, seeing her handwriting in that red ink.

Following that semester I signed up for another course of hers and then at the last minute, they switched the instructor so I dropped the class. It was the first time I ever dropped a class over a teacher but if Trudy wasn’t teaching it, I didn’t want it. That’s how much I thought of her as an instructor. I am a better scholar and person for having known her and having had the opportunity to study under her. I only wish I could have learned from her even more.

But more than politics and feminism, I learned from Trudy about the depth of love you can have for your child. Trudy and I have something in common. We both share sons who have autism spectrum conditions. While Sky had classical autism, my son, Keagen, has Asperger’s Syndrome. I have battled for years to get Keagen the help he needs. It has been an uphill battle all the way. A few months ago, Trudy wrote a letter to the Kent Stater addressing the need to have autism coverage in the University’s health insurance policies. This letter so struck me that I wrote to her and thanked her for having the courage to fight this battle. She graciously wrote back to me and offered to refer Keagen to a good doctor. That was the last communication I had with Trudy. I’m so glad now that I wrote and thanked her.  Had I not, I would have always regretted it.

I remember Trudy’s stories about chasing cars in her neighborhood that were going over the speed limit and arguing with a young man to turn his radio down because the loud noises agitated Sky. Trudy was feisty and opinionated and I loved her for it. She inspired me, and as a woman, I found her to be an exemplary role model. I liked how she thought, I liked how she articulated her thoughts, and she was funny as hell! Added to that were her compassion and resilience. She was one strong woman, steadfast, intelligent, advocating and irrevocably irreplaceable.

Heidi M. Bauer
Program Assistant, GED Scholars Initiative, Ohio Literacy Resource Center, Kent State University
Liberal Studies Master’s Student (Concentration: Women’s Studies), Kent State University

 ''Trudy always felt that the autism was something she and Sky could handle. She and Sky had a loving relationship. It wasn't always easy, but she was on a mission to raise this autistic child.''

''She was passionate about her research. She was passionate about her students. And she was passionate about Sky. She was an exuberant and passionate woman. She was an amazing teacher and she will be impossible to replace.''

Steven W. Hook, Chairman, Political Science
Kent State University

''Trudy was an absolute force of nature. She was a refreshing windstorm. She was very strong-willed, very intelligent and an extremely solid and committed advocate. She was very committed to ending sexism, racism, homophobia and other injustices.''

-Molly Merryman
Associate Professor, Justice Studies
Kent State University

 ''I will miss her laughter. She could really bellow out when she was tickled. She was a really gifted member of the Kent State staff. She was a dedicated teacher who cared deeply about her students. She had an incredible dedication to her son and I can't help but see the irony in all of this.Trudy was so afraid that Sky would end up institutionalized at some point and it looks like that might just happen. The other irony is that Trudy hated 'goodbyes' and the way things happened, she hasn't had to say goodbye. We're all going to miss her.''

Tom Hensley, Emeritus Professor of Political Science
Kent State University

Love’s Silence: an Elegy for Trudy and Sky

Is love reason enough for the grief that persistently swirls,

choking us with the overwhelming profundity of your absence?

Your son's silence overtook with brutal efficiency:

A lifetime of absent conversation counterbalanced by a love

that became richer as the spaces in the world became smaller.

We are all diminished if we struggle to measure your death

while failing to measure your life, your generous laughter,

lush pauses of dignity and the centered gravity of grace.

Reason was the love that drove your career.

A lifetime of students guided by your relentless intellect to

push through politics, raise families, challenge scholarship--

their voices raised in reflection of your feminist vision and piercing logic.

Love was the reason for guiding students in languid

hours of conversations, providing always a soft chair

and bowls of candy, sharing stories of homes,

dreams of futures lived in pursuit of justice, intellect and equality, tempered

by the rising laughter that remains in memories of all who have met you.

Nevertheless, you, who thrived on a career of words and ideas, were absented by those conversations that would answer what you knew to be most important: Is my son happy?

Does he think I'm funny? Yet never did you question love or the reason for your son.

Your love transformed paper shreds into a sparkling trail leading

so many of us toward an understanding of Sky's quiet heart.

Perhaps our lives are understood only in their completeness.

Yours: the tale of what happens when one loves too much,

when your knowledge of the realities of institutions as harbingers of abuse

awoke the fierce tiger who rejected ever being alive while your son languished in vulnerable captivity. That knowledge, for you, would have been more deadly than your own death.

We, the fortunate who offered invitations and welcomed Sky, were rewarded

with blissful memories, bolstered by waves of laughter from mother to son.

We witnessed the fast food sacraments purchased daily, even if never eaten,

for although you didn't understand the purpose, you believed it was valid.

And all the while I watched, never realizing you were teaching me love.

Love needs no sound; its existence is reason enough.

Let us finish practicing our sighs and return

to the practice of laughter, realizing that for you,

love was reason enough.

© 2009

My sister Debbie had class with Trudy in the late 80's.  She and Debbie formed a very close friendship, and Debbie was friends with Trudy and Scott when Sky was born.  About a year and a half later, my sister had a baby boy, further solidifying their friendship.  When Debbie moved to Youngstown, they eventually drifted apart.
Last year my sister died.  I immediately thought of Trudy and tried to look her up to let her know, but when I searched the KSU website, I couldn't find a "Trudy", not remembering her name was Gertrude.  Trudy was a wonderful friend to my sister, always encouraging her to strive for more.  When I reflect on the trajectory of these two women, and of these children now with no mother, words can't describe the sorrow I feel.  These women shared a lovely friendship for about five years, celebrated the births of their sons together, and are now both tragically gone, each in a violent manner.  Trudy was a lovely and kind person.  I'm grateful my sister knew her, and her kindness.  And I hope the future holds something special for Sky, and for my sister's children.

 -Amy DiNorscio

We welcome your submissions.

An Interview with Trudy Steuernagel

President Lefton's Statement

Trudy's Memorial Celebration, February 13, 2009, KIVA, SLIDESHOW

 Trudy's Autism
Family Support Fund
c/o Huntington Bank
101 E. Main St., Kent OH 44240
(or directly at any
Huntington Branch).

Our Women's Studies Tribute
to Trudy Steuernagel -
at her Celebration of Life

Trudy's was a very bright light –

And much of it devoted—spent—shining
for a child to whom it quite likely was the sun.

But we all had a share,

an exquisite, unforgettable share.

It is tempting, it seems, to think, at death….

That Light goes out.

Clearly,       Not so.

It is here, very much with us, in us.

May we keep it—

Like a fire—from going out.   Ever.

-slh-

The achievements of a woman are not readily reducible to a document.
Still, Gertrude Steuernagel's C.V. provides a sweeping glance across
the surface of her professional life.  The rest of the story resides in
the memories of family, friends, colleagues, students--those who knew her.

And it resides in the soul of the world.