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Today's most e-mailed
Prior days' news: By date | Search This week's print issue Back issues: By date | Search April 19, 2007Jocelyne Couture-NowakWhen Sue W. Farquhar, associate professor of French at Virginia Tech, interviewed Jocelyne Couture-Nowak for a position in the department, the candidate’s enthusiasm immediately made Ms. Farquhar break out in a “radiant smile,” even though the conversation took place over the phone. The department hired Ms. Couture-Nowak because of interest in cognitive approaches to how people learn languages, and her fervor for teaching. “She was a spark of energy in our department,” says Ms. Farquhar, “radiating joy of discovery, and always expressing dedication to her students.”  Nova Scotia Agriculture College In addition to teaching, Ms. Couture-Nowak was the faculty adviser to two French clubs. On the Web site Rate VT Teachers, she received five stars, the highest mark possible, from each former student. She was a proud French Canadian, originally from Montreal. She played an instrumental role in helping to found L’École acadienne de Truro in 1997, the first French-language elementary and secondary school in Truro, Nova Scotia, where she lived in the 1990s with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, now head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech. In Nova Scotia she was known as one of three “mothers” of the school. “French culture, especially French-Canadian culture, animated her teaching and was the key to inspiring her students to love French,” says Ms. Farquhar. Ms. Couture-Nowak also spent plenty of time in the pool, where she was a fierce competitor and used to win so many medals, she clanked when she walked by, friends say. She often brought her two daughters to swimming lessons or dropped off treats for the lifeguards. She loved gardening, dancing, and taking long hikes. Friends say they admired the life she lived, and her verve. “Not once did she seem downcast or discouraged by a hard day,” says Ms. Farquhar. —Lauren Smith Posted on Thursday April 19, 2007 | Permalink |Comments
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The Family & Friends should have my condolence – but this should not be entertained in this world.
— Pierre Asiedu Apr 23, 08:41 AM #