Presented by Robin
Snyder at the WVFLTA Fall Conference in
Elkins - September 19, 2009. It is an honor to
say a few words in memory of Frank Medley, Spanish professor and
retired chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages at
WVU. Frank passed away in July 2008 after a long
illness. I met Frank in
the early 1980’s when we both served on the SCOLT Board of
Directors. I was at once struck by his southern charm and good
humor, which was almost immediately followed by a profound respect
for his abilities. Frank was, in a
word, indefatigable. He taught, he wrote texts and articles,
he edited journals, he made presentations, he ran a large
department, he was a high profile figure not only in SCOLT, but
also in ACTFL, Northeast and probably every other regional
conference in the country. He was always on the cutting
edge. You may not know that he was one of the first to be
trained as on Oral Proficiency Interviewer and he won numerous
awards for his many contributions to world languages both
nationally and internationally. Frank was a
Texan, a South Carolinian, and an almost heaven West
Virginian. He was the best educated, most politically savvy
down home guy I have ever met and he was humble and modest in the
mix, generous to a fault and a loving, kind family member and
friend. He will be missed for a very long time by his family,
his friends and his colleagues. |
Memorial Gifts in
Honor of Frank W. Medley, Jr.
On behalf of the WVFLTA a donation
in the amount of $215 has been made to the SCOLT World Languages Professional
Development Fund in memory of Dr. Medley. THANK YOU for your contributions
to recognize Frank’s dedication to our profession both in West Virginia and
throughout the country. |
