Johnye Elizabeth Strickland

Dr. Johnye Elizabeth Strickland, Professor Emerita of UALR passed away peacefully on March 29. She was born December 30, 1930, in Pampa, Texas. She graduated high school in Dangerfield, TX as Valedictorian. She attended Texas College for Women in 1948 and East Texas State College in 1949, until her marriage to a minor league professional baseball player. While starting a family, she continued her college education receiving a BA in 1955 and an MA in 1957, both in English from the University of Arkansas. She started lecturing at UALR in 1959, was promoted to professor in 1962, and earned her PhD in 1969, becoming the Head of English Department.

Dr. Strickland led courses on Arkansas writers, women in literature, poetry, and oral history. She also founded the UALR Oral History Program in 1973 and served as its director until 1976. Some of her research work included interviews with Vietnamese refugees in Fort Chaffee after the Viet Nam War, and in-depth research into Hattie Caraway, an Arkansan and the first woman elected to the US Senate. Throughout her career she held numerous leadership positions in organizations related to Arkansas women and history as well as poetry and haiku. She served as president of the Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas, president of the Arkansas Women’s History Institute, associate editor of Simple Haiku, and editor of The Haiku Society of America Newsletter. Outside of the academics she enjoyed writing, swimming, boating, and fishing-which included holding the Women’s State Record for the largest Rainbow Trout. Johnye is survived by her daughters, Judy Michaels, MD. (Steve Sharp), and Nun Theodora Tirel; grandchildren, Justin, Logan, and Lydia Michaels, Elliott, Colin,Alice, Ellen, and Marion Ray; and two great-grandchildren, Aubrey and Wiley.

A memorial will be announced in the future.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation to: Susan B Komen Foundation or Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation.