Kathleen Galvin, professor emerita, passed away in Evanston on September 12 at the age of 78.

Galvin enjoyed a remarkable, long career in the School of Communication, which started even before joining the faculty—she earned two master’s and one doctoral degree from Northwestern. She began teaching in 1968, retired in 2019, and filled those 51 years chairing the then-Department of Speech Education (mid-70s to 1988), serving as an associate dean (1988-2001), and acting as an advocate and liaison for students on the University’s Faculty Committee on Athletics and Recreation. Her faculty appointment was moved in 1990 to the Department of Communication Studies.

Galvin was a pioneer in the field of family communication and explored such progressive areas as gay male parenting, transracial/transnational adoption, and how families communicate about traumatic health events, particularly where children are concerned. She authored numerous books, one of which is in its tenth edition, and countless articles. She also served on various boards within the National Communication Association. Her students remember her as a tireless educator with a gift for helping them realize their potential.

She is survived by her husband, Charles, their three children, and four grandchildren.

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Cloris Leachman, legendary multi-award-winning Hollywood actress, died on January 27 in Encinitas, California. She was 94. Leachman shot to television stardom in the 1970s as the wacky Phyllis on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff, Phyllis, earning two Emmy Awards. Her versatility was also showcased in her Oscar-winning role in The Last Picture Show. Leachman’s many other notable projects included Young Frankenstein, Malcolm in the Middle, Bad Santa, Dancing with the Stars, The Croods, Raising Hope, and Spanglish. Demonstrating her comedic brilliance, she played dozens of small roles that became memorable scene stealers. 

Leachman was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and earned a theatre scholarship to Northwestern. She dropped out to enter a beauty contest, which eventually led to her appearance in the 1946 Miss America Pageant. In her long and respected Hollywood career, she entered the record books as the recipient of the most Emmy Awards (eight) for a female performer (fellow Wildcat Julia Louis-Dreyfus tied her record in 2017). Leachman’s survivors include three sons and her daughter from her marriage to the late filmmaker George Englund.

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Dawn Mora, a mainstay of Northwestern’s acting program for the last four decades, died on June 9 in New Buffalo, Michigan, at age 79. She was awarded emerita status this past spring upon her retirement as senior lecturer and director of the theatre department’s movement program. Prior to her Northwestern career, she was a professional actress in television, film, and stage with credits that included the Second City in New York, San Diego’s Shakespeare Festival, and Universal Pictures’ Island of the Blue Dolphins. She was chosen as one of four actors to work on a Ford Foundation grant creating and acting in shows for public television. Mora codirected many classical dramas and operas on campus, and as a movement specialist she researched, wrote, and produced the training video Movement for the Actor. Nationally known for her movement work, she was a specialist for Lyric Opera of Chicago, DuPage Opera Theatre, and Northlight and Lookingglass Theatres, among others.

A dear mentor and friend to countless alumni, faculty, and staff, she is survived by her son, brother, grandchildren, and other family members as well as her close friend and Northwestern colleague Ann Woodworth. An on-campus memorial service is being planned for October. 

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Dear friends and Northwestern theatre classmates John Guzzardo (C94) and Aaron Morgan (C94) died in a car crash on June 4 in Los Angeles. Morgan, 49, built a 25-year theatre career in the Los Angeles area, working in management, technical theatre, design, carpentry, and more. He is survived by his daughter, Camille, and her mother, Andrea Gwinnel, as well as his parents and siblings. Guzzardo, age 48, also built his life in and around performance, which eventually led to a career in law. While working in Chicago and Los Angeles theatre after graduation, he met and married his wife, Teresa. He had been a partner in the litigation and bankruptcy practice at Horwood Marcus & Berk Chartered since 2018. In addition to his parents and siblings, he is survived by Teresa and their son, Giovanni.