Former English Professor Jean Halladay Dies

February 21, 2012

Jean R. Halladay, 79, Old Dominion University associate professor emerita of English, died Feb. 16, 2012, in Norfolk Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital.

She joined the faculty in 1965 as an assistant professor and retired in 1997. Halladay made many contributions, especially in the areas of undergraduate instruction, student advising and university service, in her 32 years at ODU.

During her tenure, she published a number of articles on Victorian writers as well as bibliographical pieces on American women. Her crowning work is the 1993 book "Eight Late Victorian Poets Shaping the Artistic Sensibility of an Age."

"She was highly regarded for her many contributions to her discipline and dedication as a faculty member," said Dana Heller, professor and chair of the English department. "Those who have been around long enough to remember Jean will readily recall her quick wit, her generous nature, her no-nonsense demeanor and her muumuu dresses.

"Speaking personally, as a junior faculty member, I adored her," Heller added. "Our thoughts are with Jean's family and her many friends."

Halladay received a B.S. in English in 1953 from Utica College of Syracuse University, an M.S. in English in 1955 from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in Victorian literature in 1963 from the University of Kentucky.

She was a member of St. Paul Universalist Church in Little Falls, N.Y. Survivors include her brother, Merton Halladay; two cousins, Lynn and Dale Ford; a nephew, Caleb Carson; and a niece, Tanya Carson. She was preceded in death by her sister, Laura.

All services will be private and Halladay will be laid to rest in a family plot in Newport, N.Y., at a later date. Altmeyer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.altmeyer.com.