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We are deeply saddened to announce that Jon Organ (Secretary Senior, Office of Research Support, and formerly Educational Psychology) has passed away after struggling for months against cancer.
In recent messages to his colleagues here in the College, Jon continued to express a remarkably upbeat attitude, even while his condition deteriorated. Many of you had contributed sick leave to help Jon maintain his health benefits during his illness; others donated to gift certificates to help manage his lack of mobility. I know that Jon and his family were tremendously grateful for the collective generosity of his longtime colleagues.
It is never easy to communicate information like this—and I hope we can support each other just as the community supported Jon through the difficulty of the past ten months. As we move into the new academic year, I hope that all of you who knew Jon will recall a special memory or two to share with your colleagues.
Patricia A. Wasley,
Dean and Professor
University of Washington College of Education
"I was fortunate enough to enter the U as a TEP TA while pursuing my PhD (still working on that one!). Jon was one of the first people I met, and I can not begin to delineate all of the things he helped me with. Every time I walked through the EDPSYCH door, Jon was always ready with a smile and hello. Our world truly suffered a loss. Please pass on my condolences to all friends and family."
Corey Bartle,
Doctoral Student in Learning Sciences.
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"So sorry to hear this. Jon was a gentle soul."
Brad Portin,
Director of the Education Program at UW Bothell.
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Jon was one of the "fixtures" of Miller Hall from the time I started as a Ph.D student five years ago. He gave me advice, access codes, fax assistance, and all sorts of other help, always with a kind smile. (And with a lot of patience for a supposedly smart person who does some dumb things.) I will miss him.
Suzanne Reeve
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"Nothing as strong as gentleness, nothing as gentle as real strength..."
He had a spirit as that of a true warrior and knew the passion he had for everyone he came in contact with... He will be sorely missed by his colleagues and friends...
In my Apache language, there is a word we use when we leave one another: Yaa laan, which means: Until we meet again, my relative...
May your new journey be one of such grace and beauty...
Jennifer R. Wallen, M. Ed.
4th Yr. Doctoral Student
College of Education
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Really sorry to hear this. Jon was always a very kind, gentle, and patient man.
Amit Saxena
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Jon was the first person I talked with in Miller Hall. He made me feel welcome, not just that first day, but through every interaction we had, beyond that moment. His responses were always helpful, yet gentle. I also appreciated the visual artistry he added to the course fliers he posted around Miller. Jon's presence in Miller is dearly missed.
Kersti Tyson
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I'd see Jon sitting on the concrete sidewalk at the bus stop at the bottom of the spiral staircase near the Henry on 15th. He was always reading a new book every time I saw him. We started talking about books and gave each other recommendations. The last series I recommended to him was A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Jon told me that he mostly read non-fiction but would give the books a try. The series is in progress and I am left wondering if Jon ever picked them up and how far he got and if he was disappointed that the series wasn't yet done.
The unknown, unfinished, raw potential of life is a powerful thing. In a way, I feel like as educators and researchers we will never finish our work, but the journey... that's what matters.
Mark Chen
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I am grateful for Jon's kind and generous spirit. I enjoyed our conversations about art and found the work he shared with me to be so inspiring. I was in awe of his attitude as he faced his illness and treatment. You will be missed, Jon! I think of you often and miss you in Miller 312.
Leslie Herrenkohl,
Associate Professor, Educational Psychology
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I was very saddened to hear of Jon's death. I can only echo the comments regarding his kindness and gentleness. He was one of the good ones; the world is lesser for his passing.
Carol Bershad
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Jon was a kind, gentle, warm and patient person. He always always welcomed queries with a smile no matter how busy he was. There are no words to express my feelings about Jon's passing. I find comfort in knowing that he has reached his 'home' earlier than us. I will miss seeing him at the college.
Brinda Jegatheesan,
Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology and Early Childhood and Family Studies
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I still think I'm going to see Jon's smiling face behind the counter in 312, working on his amazing course flyers, helping a student, or otherwise making the place better. We miss you, Jon!
Sue Nolen,
Professor, Educational Psychology
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Jon was extremely kind and sweet. I remember days that I checked with Jon about pronouncing some of my students' names, we discussed how to type quickly using only a few fingers, shared the tips and lessons learned from playing the Sims. Jon, you are missed!
Min Li,
Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology
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It is hard to think about Jon without feeling tremendously sad. He was always upbeat and friendly - which can be hard to do when everyone who comes along wants something. Jon did things to make our suite of offices a pleasanter place to be. He saved my butt too many times to count. But all of this is just things he did — not who he was. Jon was a gentle man. He was a warm person. He was creative. Most of all, he was a person who died too soon - when he should have had a whole life ahead of him. I will miss him. In some ways, I've been missing him since he got sick — kind of looking for him without even realizing it. Losing Jon is a loss for everyone — even those who didn't know him. When someone gives warmth in a stressful environment, it can only made things better for those who met him — a feeling they will take to their next encounter. I will try to remember that — to give a bit of warmth so those I meet will pass it on...
Catherine Taylor,
Associate Professor, Educational Psychology
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I baked pumpkin bread once and brought it in to work and emailed Jon to ask if he preferred his pumpkin bread rare, medium or well done. He totally got that, so we had a conversation about our ovens. I remember receiving his emails when I first started at the UW and feeling that I needed to improve my writing skills. It didn't take long to learn that Jon had a gift for writing, pondering, communicating more than facts, but voice and thoughtfulness and concern and a lot of other things that the world needs more of. How many times did I round that corner in a flurry on my way into 312 and experience instant relief when I saw Jon sitting behind the desk, calm, ready to interact, wanting to understand, wanting to share? He always had time for me and left me with the impression that he understood what really matters in this life. Jon, I thank you and I miss you.
Jenny Quynn
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Share your memories of Jon Organ
Jon was a talented artist with an exceptionally vivid imagination. Watch a slide show of some of Jon's work»
College of Education, University of Washington
Box 353600 Seattle, WA 98195-3600
coe@u.washington.edu