UMW community celebrates life of Dr. Gwen Hale

by JESS KIRBY

Editor-in-Chief

On Monday, Oct. 11, Writing Center Director Gwen Hale passed away after a long battle with cancer. Hale had been with the university since 2011.

Hale started the First-in-Family initiative in 2017 to provide resources for first-generation college students at UMW. 

“I think the thing that always defined her for me is her care for students and … her placing the student experience at the center of literally everything she did,” said Chief of Staff Jeff McClurken. 

Hale also transformed a Writing Center closet into a pantry where students could get food and household products. Years later in 2019, with the help of Hale and other staff and students, this pantry moved to the fifth floor of Lee Hall and officially became the Eagle Resource Closet, according to Leslie Martin, faculty director of the Center for Community Engagement.

“I think it also occurred to her to do this because so many students feel comfortable sharing their lives with her,” said Juliette Landphair, the vice president for Student Affairs. “Her legacy, it’s the Resource [Closet]. It’s the Positivity Post. It’s the First-in-Family. Nobody has really stepped up to take her place in the First-in-Family initiative … Her influence was so enormous.”

Nic Ford, a graduate student in the education program and former Writing Center consultant, created a GoFundMe page for the Eagle Resource Closet in honor of Hale.

“I just wanted a way to honor Gwen and felt like raising money for the community would be fitting,” said Ford. “She was an action-oriented person when it came to people needing help, and I think she would want to be remembered through good actions.”

Heather Guhl, an education support specialist in the Writing and Speaking Centers, began working with Hale in the fall of 2019. Her favorite thing about Hale was “that juxtaposition of so many things in her—the most kind and compassionate person you’ve ever met who loves heavy metal music and monsters. She is an example to other people that you can be anything and everything. You don’t have to fit into a box.”

When Landphair came to the university in 2015, she repeatedly heard staff and students speak fondly of Hale and decided to take her out for lunch. This sparked a years-long friendship between them.

Hale first battled cancer when she was 20 years old, so when Landphair was diagnosed with cancer, she reached out to Hale. 

“I contacted her and she was just amazingly supportive,” said Landphair. “Gwen was cheerfully realistic in our conversations about cancer. For both her and me it was like ‘okay, cancer sucks.’ It was so great that somebody just said the truth and talked about it very openly.”

Five years ago, Hale sent an email to her close colleagues explaining that her cancer had come back.

“In typical Gwen fashion, it was upbeat and cheery,” said McClurken, who received that email. He said that Hale would “shepherd us through the process of someone who had cancer. Teach us the language … That’s how she understood her role, to help us understand how to interact with others.”

Hale frequently hosted “First Fridays” on the fourth floor of the HCC, where she would bring food and gather people together for a meal. 

“She impacted the students, but also the people on this floor,” said Guhl. “There wasn’t an invitation of hers that wasn’t open to absolutely everyone. And we all need to be more like her in many, many ways.”

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hale started a soap-making business called Straight From Hale Soap. Hale frequently made personalized soaps for her friends and colleagues, including McClurken.

“I talked to her about my grandfather who had this pipe and this cherry tobacco that he would smoke,” he said. “I swear, she managed to recreate it and sent me a bar. She wanted to make sure she was doing my memory justice.”

Hale also previously served as the women’s lacrosse team’s faculty liaison, according to Caitlin Moore, assistant director of athletics.

“She was such a wonderful friend, kind face on campus and big support of our Athletic Department,” said Moore. “Gwen was the ultimate pick-me-up, always at the ready with a motivational speech or snack on hand. She was such a sweet soul and had such a phenomenal impact on our campus community.”

Hale positively impacted many of the Writing Center consultants that she worked with. She introduced herself to all of the consultants as Gwen. 

“Whenever I think about Gwen, the way she always looked out for us consultants is the first thing that comes to mind,” said Anne-Marie Guelcher, a UMW alumna and former Writing Center consultant. “The best thing about Gwen was how much she cared about everyone, especially the student workers at the WC.” 

Piper Giannini, an alumna and former Writing Center consultant, shared her favorite thing about Hale.

“My favorite thing about Gwen is how she would give us her love without expecting anything in return,” said Giannini. “She was a kind, giving soul. She would give the shirt off her back to help anyone.”

UMW alumna Kate Seltzer applied to work at the Writing Center during her freshman year.

“I wasn’t prepared for how much Gwen really took me and took … everybody who worked there under her wing,” she said. “She was incredibly kind, so smart, just really easy to talk to. I definitely did not think that that boss-employee relationship would turn out to be a really meaningful connection.”

When Seltzer moved to Maryland for graduate school, Hale put her in contact with a few people in the area in case she needed anything.

“She’s just always been very, very good to me and made sure that the people that worked at the Writing Center, and I think the people that just came into her life generally, were taken care of,” said Seltzer.

Landphair described how students frequently praised and looked up to Hale.

“Students would write these letters, and they were unlike anything that I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in higher education for three decades,” said Landphair. “The enormity of the loss is just almost inexpressible.”

Hale will be remembered by many for her kindness.

“We’re going to miss her in ways that I think we’re only beginning to imagine,” said McClurken. “I think all of us who have known her will be changed.”