| A Tribute to Cecilia Welna, Ph. D. (1927-2012) News of the passing of Cecilia Welna, Ph.D. came from Youssef Kouatly, Professor Emeritus, University of Hartford, on 3/9/2012. He wrote: I received today the following message from the Emeriti Association of the University of Hartford about our colleague and friend Ceil Welna. I am sending it to you for your information. The message is: "I thought the Committee members would want to know that this evening we learned of the death of our dear colleague Ceil Welna. I do not think there will be an obituary in tomorrow's paper, but probably on the weekend. And if I have any further information about arrangements to pass on to you I will do so. As is our policy, a donation will be made in her memory to the Emeriti Scholarship Fund." I am very sad to say the least. Youssef EA members were shocked and dismayed to learn of the sad news. Dr. Welna had, it seemed only the other day, capably arranged the EA event, featuring Kathleen McGrory as speaker on the topic of “In Search of the Holy Grailâ€� on October 20, 2011 at the 1877 Club at the University of Hartford. She made sure that the meeting went as planned and served as its charming hostess. She was hoping to attend the EA spring event at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry before the sad news came. Examples of the reactions from EA members are as follows: “I was heartbroken to hear of Ceil's death, so unexpected….â€�. “We are filled with sorrow to hear this news about C. Welna from Youssef Kouatley,“ “…a valued colleague..â€� I still cannot believe it. Ceil was so full of spirit and energy, getting involved with so many activities, with so many people and organizations, going to museums, shows, so engaged in everything. ….â€� The obituary for Dr. Welna was published in the Hartford Courant on 3/11/2012. http://www.legacy.co18m/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=cecilia-welna- ceil&pid=156439886&fhid=4 For an article describing Dr. Welna's impressive career and many many accomplishments and legacy at the University of Hartford, go to "In Memoriam: Cecilia Welna" at http://www.hartford. edu/daily/article/view/12475. It is noted that the Welna family has requested donations in honor of Ceil be directed to the Dr. Cecilia Welna Endowment Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Hartford, c/o Ms. Toni Robinson, Institutional Advancement, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, CT 06117. Donations of one hundred dollars, each from the Emeritus Assembly and from the CSC-AAUP, had been forwarded to the above address. Individuals wishing to augment the donations were advised to send them in directly to the fund. Tim Killeen, EA President, expressed the members’ sense of loss via the spring issue of the EACT Newsletter. He wrote: We have lost one of our strongest advocates and a dear colleague. Cecilia “Ceilâ€� Welna died at home on March 8. She was an active member of the Emeritus Assembly since her retirement from The University of Hartford in 1991. While at the University, she served as Professor, Chair of the Department of Mathematics, and Dean of The College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. Ceil served our organization in many ways, most notably as secretary for over ten years. On her official retirement from that position in 2007, Mary Rogers wrote a wonderful tribute to Ceil which we have reprinted on page 7 of this newsletter. Since 2007, we have continued to benefit from the work of Dr. Welna. For each of the past 5 years, she has single handedly arranged at least one of our programs held at the Harry Gray center at the University of Hartford along with a wonderful lunch. When I needed advice, and that was often, Ceil was one of the first responders to my email plea and always with very sensible and helpful input. If she was not feeling well, no one could have suspected, for she was always upbeat and there when you needed her. We will dearly miss you Ceil. Tim Killeen The above mentioned page 7 is reproduced here. Our dear friend, Cecelia Welna, passed away two weeks ago; the following article was written by Mary Rogers for our Fall 2007 Newsletter CECILIA WELNA, PEERLESS SECRETARY OF THE EMERITUS ASSEMBLY, RETIRES For the Emeritus Assembly, 1996 was both the best of times and the worst of times. The relatively young organization had achieved a paid up membership list of one hundred retirees. In spite of this achievement the group was saddened by the illness of the ultra-dependable Barbara McKillop, our secretary almost since our 1986 beginning. Barbara had just written for the state conference’s Advance a history of our organization, brief though that history was. Indications were that she would not return to us, and Cecilia Welna stepped up and began to fulfill the secretarial needs of the Emeritus Assembly. The following year, 1997, Ceil was elected in her own right, and remained our secretary until two years ago. "Time to retire" she told us, and we found another secretary. Unfortunately, Ceil's replacement had responsibilities out of the USA and soon resigned. Again, as she had in the past, Cecilia Welna filled a need and became Emeritus Assembly's secretary for yet another term. Members have seen examples of Ceil's thorough work, since many of her reports have been printed in the Newsletter. Four times each year since 1996 we have had Ceil's accurate reports to keep us on track, not only for regular attendees at the meetings but also to inform absent members of what happened. In addition to those regular reports of meeting events, Ceil has been a strong contributor to our program arrangements. Need an idea for a meeting that will be worth our time attending? Ceil has an idea of a suitable speaker or place. Want a meeting at University of Hartford’s Political History Museum? Cecilia Welna will make all arrangements, location, docent, meal arrangements, how to get there, where to park, all the details. That and several other meetings were placed in Ceil's tender and efficient care. As if those contributions weren't enough, one other service to this organization needs to be mentioned: Ceil is a great proof reader. Even though computers have spell check and such devices, these machines can't always make sense of sentences. A human brain is needed to help a newsletter editor make sure that the pages sent out for duplication say what they are supposed to say. Ceil has been invaluable in the advance reading of our proposed pages. The shoes which she filled when she originally accepted the position were large, but she filled them beautifully; now she herself has left a vast space that may never be as adequately occupied. Mary Beckert Humphrey Tonkin, President Emeritus & University Professor of the Humanities , University of Hartford, wrote this in memory of “a splendid person.â€� Dr. Cecilia Welna The passing of Ceil Welna severs a link with the earliest days of the University of Hartford. A local girl (she was born in New Britain), she began teaching at Hillyer College in 1956, while she was still working on her Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Connecticut. Hillyer College became a constituent part of the University of Hartford when the University was founded in 1957, and Ceil remained at the University for the remainder of her academic career. She was known as a fine administrator, chairing the Mathematics Department for many years and then, in 1982, becoming Dean of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, a post that she held until 1991. During some of those years she also served concurrently as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She was also known as a distinguished teacher who helped many students get a start in the field and many others conquer math anxiety; her colleagues recognized these achievements when she was named the first-ever recipient of the Roy E. Larsen Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1980. I got to know Ceil when I joined the University as president in 1989. She and I overlapped as administrators by a couple of years, and we remained in close contact thereafter, not least because when, a few years later, I taught a summer course in Esperanto, she decided to take it and became an active user of that language. After she retired, she remained involved with the University through the Emeriti Association (of which she was co- chair at the time of her death) and in many other ways besides. In short, she was a model of institutional loyalty and concern. People like her don’t come along very often; she will be greatly missed. Humphrey Tonkin President Emeritus & University Professor of the Humanities Office: Mortensen Library, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA C. Welna as Associate of the EACT website team. Cecilia Welna had been a long time (10 years or so,) secretary of the Emeritus Assembly and continued to serve as editorial associate of this website since its inception in 2007. Words cannot express our sorrow in the loss of her wise counsel, continuing support and encouragement, and warm engagement in our endeavors regarding the site. She was the only one who succeeded in getting through the process of becoming a team blogger and was able to post entries directly to the blog. We have already missed her help in selecting and approving entries for the site and trimming the clutters. In addition, Ceil had us apparently on her email buddies' list where she shared many fantastic photographs and stories, cautionary tales, jokes, and her enjoyment of the good life visiting museums, theaters, opera performances at various places. Her personal anecdotes were always full of good humor, and even grace under fire. This last is reflected in how she dealt with the situation of her email account having been hacked. She wrote that she talked with a tech in Romania who was very nice and helpful and so now she only had to set about deleting 7000 undeliverable messages and she was all set for a while. That was on February 28th, 2012, eight days before she died. Ever an optimist, may she rest in peace. At the Annual spring meeting of the CSC-AAUP, May 10, 2012, Tim Killeen, EA president, was asked to speak in honor of Cecilia. His remarks follow; Before I begin, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Flo Hatcher and the Connecticut State Conference-AAUP for their continued and strong support of the Emeritus Assembly. Your encouragement and backing, have made us a much more viable entity. One of our strongest advocates and a dear colleague, Cecilia Welna, passed away, suddenly two months ago. Since her retirement from The University of Hartford in 1991, Ceil has been an active member of the Emeritus Assembly. While at UHart, she served as Professor, Chair of the Department of Mathematics, and Dean of The College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. Even though the last segment of her career was spent as an administrator and not in the AAUP, she always staunchly upheld and supported our principles. So much so, that she was drawn to The AAUP Emeritus Assembly upon her retirement. Ceil served our organization in many ways, most notably as secretary for over ten years. On her official retirement from that position in 2007, Mary Rogers wrote a wonderful tribute to Cecilia in our newsletter. Since 2007, we have continued to benefit from the work of Dr. Welna. For each of the past 5 years and before that, with a real eye for detail, she has single handedly arranged at least one of our programs held at the University of Hartford along with a wonderful lunch. When I’ve needed advice, and that was often, Ceil was one of the first responders to my email plea and there every time with very sensible and helpful input. If she was not feeling well, no one could have suspected, for she was always upbeat and there when you needed her. Cecilia was an unassuming and modest individual and unless you knew her before retirement you would never guess that she had such an illustrious academic career. We dearly miss you Ceil. I would like to close by asking for a moment of silence for Ceil and all of the deceased members of the Connecticut State Conference and the Emeritus Assembly. Thank You. Tim Killeen At the same meeting, as part of the program, Flo Hatcher, Executive Director of the CSC-AAUP, included the following passage that she composed in honor of Dr. Welna. It provides a summation of our tribute. Dr. Cecilia "Ceil" Welna, 84, died at home in Kensington on Thursday, (March 8, 2012). Ceil, a New Britain native, was born on July 15, 1927, to the late Joseph and Sophie (Roman) Welna. After earning a Bachelor's degree in mathematics at Saint Joseph College (1949), Cecilia went on to earn a Master of Arts degree (1952) and a Doctorate (1960) at the University of Connecticut. During her teaching career she taught at the University of Connecticut (1950-55), the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1955-56), and the University of Hartford (1956-91). In 1968, she was named chair of the Mathematics Department at the University of Hartford. In 1982 she was named dean of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, a position she held until 1991. Cecilia was recognized with many honors and awards throughout her career. Those honors included Sigma Xi and the Distinguished Alumna Award from St. Joseph College (1982). In 1980, she was the first recipient of the prestigious University of Hartford Roy E. Larsen Award for Excellence in Teaching. The University of Hartford also honored her in 2000 at their Annual Alumni Awards Ceremony as an Honorary Alumna. She was a member of the Institute for Effective Teaching and the Mathematics Association of America. (The Hartford Courant 3/11/2012) Upon Dr. Welna’s retirement, Mary Rogers wrote in 2007 about Ceilâ €™s many contributions to the Emeritus Assembly: “As if those contributions weren't enough, one other service to this organization needs to be mentioned: Ceil is a great proof reader. Even though computers have spell check and such devices, these machines can't always make sense of sentences. A human brain is needed to help a newsletter editor make sure that the pages sent out for duplication say what they are supposed to say. Ceil has been invaluable in the advance reading of our proposed pages. The shoes which she filled when she originally accepted the position were large, but she filled them beautifully; now she herself has left a vast space that may never be as adequately occupied.â€� The Emeritus Assembly web page carried this tribute: “Her personal anecdotes were always full of good humor, and even grace under fire. This last is reflected in how she dealt with the situation of her email account having been hacked. She wrote that she talked with a tech in Romania who was very nice and helpful and so now she only had to set about deleting 7000 undeliverable messages and she was all set for a while. That was on February 28th, 2012, eight days before she died. Ever an optimist, may she rest in peace.â€� President Tim Killeen wrote: “When I needed advice, and that was often, Ceil was one of the first responders to my email plea and always with very sensible and helpful input. If she was not feeling well, no one could have suspected, for she was always upbeat and there when you needed her. We will dearly miss you Ceil.â€� The University of Hartford established the Dr. Cecilia Welna Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund in her honor And here is a lost and found note from Kathleen McGrory. . From Kathleen McGrory, on July 8, 2012: "Here's what I sent to Tim in March. I know it is too late but wanted you to know it existed." To mark the passing of Cecilia Welna on 3/8/2012, Kathleen wrote: "Dear Tim: I was shocked and saddened by our loss of Ceil Welna. She was the most capable, quietly competent colleague i have had the pleasure to know and work with. Sje seemed to have a gift for organizing great numbers of people into successfulp events that she was given charge of - and that happened a lot. She was a take charge woman without any of the bluster and self-congratulation that go into the unfair stereotypes of capable women. She was a creative thinker who could pull out of the air a special lecture or meeting and make it look easy, although it was her work behind the scenes that gave life to everything she touched. Above all, she was kind and honest, a truth-teller. She will be missed by many but I'm grateful that I got to know her in this life, thanks to AAUP- Emeritus Assembly. kathleen McGrory" March 12, 2012 |
