THE CAMPUS January 15, 2019 – Volume 113 Issue 14
Beloved professor dies of cancer Students, faculty share memories of his educational, personal impact MaKayla Baxter
STAFF WRITER
Dr. John Starkey, religion professor, died of cancer Jan. 11 after receiving treatment for several months. Starkey served as an OCU faculty member for 21 years. He taught classes in the Wimberly School of Religion and the Honors Program. Students and faculty said he made a significant impact on the campus community and will be remembered. Kaylila Pasha, acting junior, said Starkey always went the extra mile to connect with his students. “He did so much more than teach,” Pasha said. “He always encouraged us and would stay in his office until late at night in case anyone needed help. He really wanted to build strong connections with the students and faculty.” Pasha said she has fond memories of Starkey, including a fun nickname he gave her. “There’s a character in Doctor Who called Leela, and he would come up to me outside of class and say ‘Hey Leela!’,” Pasha said. “I had no idea what he meant, but he would get all excited and say ‘She’s a character, you gotta look her up. She’s great.’ He was just kind and thoughtful like that, even about the smallest things.” Pasha said she was enrolled in his class the semester he was diagnosed with cancer. “He would do everything in his power not to let his diagnosis affect his teaching,” Pasha said. “For example, if he had to cancel a meeting with a student to attend a chemotherapy session, he would make sure to spend extra time with them outside of class to make sure they weren’t falling behind. I think that says a lot about his character and commitment to his students.” Pasha said she is grateful for Starkey’s impact on the OCU community. “The connection he had with students, faculty and staff made an incredible impact, not just on an academic level, but on a personal level,” Pasha said. President Martha Burger sent a campuswide email Jan. 11 informing the campus community about Starkey’s death. “Dr. Starkey was a beloved member of our faculty for 21 years and his impact on his students and colleagues is immeasurable,” she wrote in the email. Throughout his time at OCU, Starkey’s many awards include the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2006, the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award in 2014-15, the Excellence in Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty in 2009, and recognition as the Distinguished Honors Professor in 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2012. Liana Forss, music theater sophomore, said she remembers Starkey as one of her most influential professors. “He shaped my mind more than I thought possible in the honors courses he taught,” Forss said. Forss said she left Starkey’s class every day with the motivation to expand her mind and elevate her thoughts. “He taught so far above and beyond his course material, and as a result, each of his students can say that they are different humans because of him,” Forss said. Ivy Walker, acting freshman, said during her second class with Starkey, she became emotional while having difficulty trying to articulate her point, and Starkey was helpful, understanding and patient. “I was obviously really embarrassed, but not only did Dr. Starkey make sure I got tissues, he also told me he was a crier as well and helped me find the words to make my point,” she said. Walker said Starkey made a point to ensure students always had a voice in class. “Anytime after that that the subject of feminism came up, he
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Emily Wollenberg Student Publications
Top left: Dr. John Starkey, religion professor, died Saturday of cancer. Starkey was a member of the OCU faculty for 21 years. Top right: Starkey taught classes in the Wimberly School of Religion and the Honors Program. He was recognized with many awards during his time at OCU. Bottom right: Students, faculty and staff arranged flowers and memorabilia outside Starkey’s office to celebrate his life and remember his legacy. Bottom left: Starkey poses in the Caf with students from Boston Avenue Methodist Church who were staying at OCU during a mission trip. “We made sure to see our favorite professor,” said Allie McMurry, religion sophomore, who submitted the picture.
made sure to ask if I had anything to say,” she said. “He made me feel so welcome at school and quickly became my favorite teacher even though I only knew him for one semester.” Students, faculty and friends of Starkey posted tributes to him on Facebook after news spread of his death. Lucas Freeman, history senior, posted on his Facebook page about Starkey’s impact on his life. “I accidentally wound up in two of Dr. Starkey’s classes my freshman year. Then intentionally two more after that,” Freeman wrote. “He pushed me in my writing, my thinking, and my humanity more than anyone I know. He was brilliant, extraordinarily kind, and a uniquely special presence here.” Elizabeth Horton-Ware, director of religious life, said Starkey was one of her professors when she attended OCU. Starkey was a very special person in her life, and she will always remember her conversations with him and how he inspired her to come back and work at OCU, she said. “He loved this place,” she said. “He loved these students.” Horton-Ware said Starkey lived a simple life, walking everywhere and owning few clothes. “We all knew his signature scarves,” she said.
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She said Starkey found joy in the little things in life, and she has a funny memory of him when she was a student in 2002. “He wanted to watch the Olympics so bad that he went out and bought a TV, which he didn’t have before.” Starkey was a lifelong learner and called others to keep learning and loving, Horton-Ware said. “He was so supportive, and I think that’s the thing that I keep seeing over and over is how he built up so many different people: students, faculty, staff, community, here on this campus.” Horton-Ware said one of Starkey’s favorite hymns will be sung as the choir anthem during Chapel Service tomorrow. Additionally, there will be time set aside during the service to reflect. Starkey’s memorial service will be Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel and is open to the public. If students need assistance or support during this time, they can utilize the university’s free counseling services. For more information on counseling services or to schedule an appointment, students can call (405) 208-7901. Contributing: Emily Wollenberg, editor-in-chief.
Students concerned with car break-ins on campus Hannah Prentice
STAFF WRITER
Before students left for winter break, a string of car break-ins happened across campus. From Nov. 19 to Dec. 12, campus police reported five break-in cases. Most of the cars had little to nothing taken, with change being the most common stolen item, students said. Kevin Howery, music theater sophomore, found his car had been broken into while parked in the Cokesbury Court Apartment complex with the passenger side door unlocked but closed. “My car looked normal when I saw it, but then I noticed the passenger side door was unlocked, which seemed weird,” Howery said. “But I opened up the door, and that is when I saw all of the papers sitting in my front seat and realized the door was unlocked because someone broke into the car. The trunk was left untouched. Nothing was moved in there, but everything inside the car had been rummaged through.” Howery said he flagged down a police officer to report the break-in. Howery said he thinks there is a lack of safety with the Cokesbury gates always being open, but there is not much the police could have done in a situation like this. “The police do as much as they possibly can; they can show up and take your report and keep an eye out, but other than that, there is not much they can do once the crime has already occurred,” Howery said. “This has happened enough on campus though that the reason there was nothing valuable in my car is because I took it out after hearing that people’s cars were being broken into.”
M MEDIAOCU.com
This has happened enough on campus though that the reason there was nothing valuable in my car is because I took it out after hearing that people's cars were being broken into.
Kevin Howery music theater sophomore
Grace Keen, mass communications freshman, also had her car broken into. “I came out to my car, and all of my doors were wide open, so I knew something was up,” Keen said. “As I got closer, I saw that stuff had just been thrown around my car, and there was even stuff on the ground outside of the car, and I realized someone had broken in. Luckily, they didn’t take anything because I don’t leave anything valuable in the car.” Keen said she did not report the incident to the police since she believed her car was unlocked and nothing of value was taken. With this specific string of break-ins, Sergeant Mark LaHue said he believes the perpetrator has been found and apprehended by the Oklahoma City Police Department. “We had on video a slender, what looked like a woman to us, over in Cokesbury, and she had entered a vehicle, which was one of the reports that we took, and the same description was given by a female student’s boyfriend who was on campus one night
and his vehicle was broken into, and he found the suspect in his car,” said LaHue said. “He told us there was an African American woman that he caught in his vehicle, and she took off running. That description is the same description that the Oklahoma City Police Department put out in this area that was the same person breaking into vehicles around campus. They actually found out who she was and they issued a warrant for her.” LaHue also said it is important for students to always report incidents like this, even if nothing is taken, because it can provide police with helpful information and showcase more accurate statistics for the department. William Citty, interim director of campus police, also emphasized reporting these incidents. “It also helps us make a decision as to whether or not we need to put something out campuswide,” Citty said. “If you have one break-in, especially if nothing is taken, it doesn’t seem as important to alarm people versus if you have 10 break-ins or more, then one: you have a better chance of getting a description of the person, and two: it becomes more of an issue with us, and we can put out information to the campus community.” Students can report incidents by calling campus police at (405) 208-5001, emailing campus police at ocupd@okcu.edu or LaHue at mlahue@okcu.edu or coming into the station to report it in person.
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