REHupa

More sad news.  This morning, Dr. Lou Rodenberger passed away at her home north of Cross Plains after a long struggle with cancer.  Her husband, Charles, posted an obituary today at his blog.

Charles and Lou were gracious hosts to the first REHupa visit to Cross Plains in 1986.  We had a marvelous dinner of barbecue brisket and all the fixin’s, and got to meet many of the Friends of the Library group, people who would later take a prominent role in Project Pride and Howard Days.  Over the years, they’ve been frequent attendees at Howard Days banquets, but I’ve never really gotten to spend as much time as I’d like talking books with them.  Lou was a fine writer and editor whose passion was to bring the stories and observations of women writers — particularly West Texas women writers — to the world.  She edited or co-edited some really wonderful volumes, such as Her Work: Stories by Texas Women, Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own, Writing on the Wind: An Anthology of West Texas Women Writers, and Let’s Hear It: Stories by Texas Women Writers.  Her latest book was a biography of author Jane Gilmore Rushing.

Lou was something of a pioneer herself, being among the first women admitted to Texas A&M, where she earned her MA and PhD in English.  She taught English at high schools in Levelland and Abilene and at Cisco Junior College, then taught for 12 years at McMurry University in Abilene.

A fine teacher, a wonderful writer, an editor who gave West Texas women writers a chance to reach a broader audience, and a delightful and charming person, Lou leaves an enviable legacy, and will be very much missed.