Hugh Downs School remembers Kristin Bervig Valentine
Kristin Bervig Valentine was passionate about her family, including husband Gene; about literature, the outdoors and social justice; and about greyhounds and a beloved whippet named Everest. Courtesy photo
By Frederick Corey
Kristin Bervig Valentine, who left an enduring legacy as a scholar, artist, teacher, hiker, skier, mother, partner, friend and colleague, died in residence at Friendship Village in Tempe, Arizona, on Aug. 26 at age 91.
Faculty, staff and alumni of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication mourn her passing with deep appreciation for her significant contributions to the life and well-being of the university.
Valentine was a professor of communication and women’s studies at Arizona State University from 1976 until her retirement in 2003. Her expertise was in performance studies, particularly in the oral interpretation of literature, performance in social contexts, performance of literature written by women, performance ethnography and storytelling.
She was instrumental in the development of The Empty Space, a performance studio through which students gain real-life experience in the complexities of human communication. “The Empty Space gives students access to diverse texts, ways to express themselves with their bodies and voices, and the ability to tell their own stories,” said Jennifer Linde, professor emerita of communication. “The 25-plus recipients of the Kristin Bervig Valentine Scholarship in Performance Studies have produced meaningful public performances and used their work to launch careers and advanced degrees.”
In 1985, Kristin secured major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to design and implement "Angle of Vision," a performance-based study of literature by contemporary writers based in the American West. Janet Jacobsen served as the project director and notes, “Dr. Valentine brought together a unique combination of academics, artists, university students and the general public to learn about and appreciate how contemporary literature informed an understanding of life in the modern American West.”
She served the university in multiple roles on multiple occasions, including as President of the University Senate from 1998–99.
“Kristin was intelligent, kind, generous and always had a smile for everyone she met,” said Elmer Gooding, professor emeritus of economics and former vice provost. “She was a special friend to many of her ASU colleagues. Kristin had a warm personality. She will be missed by so many of us.”
Valentine was recognized by her peers in the National Communication Association. In 2001, she received the Distinguished Service Award by the Performance Studies Division, and in 2002, she received the association's Wallace A. Bacon Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award.
One of her former students, Heidi Rose, professor of communication at Villanova University, remembers, “Dr. Valentine was my dissertation advisor, mentor and friend. She was the first woman to mentor me in graduate school. Kristin showed me the meaning of creative scholarship and performance for social change; how to bring our work into communities; how to be a parent, partner and professor all at the same time; and how to make life an adventure."
Sarah Tracy, professor and director of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, recalls, “Kristin was a consummate mentor and foundational leader in the school, developing top-notch scholarship as well as cultivating community. When I was a junior scholar, she shared with me this wisdom while we were on a hike: ‘Sarah, you’ve got to flat the foot to avoid slipping!’ She went on to say how ‘flatting the foot’ is a way to approach one’s scholarly journey. Essentially, that if you’re going to do something, do it. There are still many times when I hear and pass on her wisdom to flat the foot.”
In retirement, Valentine continued teaching incarcerated women how to find their voices and tell their stories. “For decades, she was a true friend and colleague in the College Program for Incarcerated Women,” said lead volunteer and Professor Emerita Peg Bortner. “It was a pure delight to share a classroom with Kristin. Her pedagogical prowess, indomitable spirit and unparalleled concern for students created an island of learning that transcended prison confines.”
Kristin Bervig was born in East Lansing, Michigan, to Norwegian parents who loved theater and music. Her mother taught elocution, and Kristin reports that, as a girl, she would “lie on the floor and peek under the door where she was teaching.” Her love of speech, literature and the arts grew, first at the University of Wisconsin, where she received her BA in speech therapy, and then at the University of Washington, where she received her MA in communication. She continued her studies in communication at the University of Utah, where she earned her PhD. It was in Utah that she met her husband, Gene Valentine.
The Valentines were a dynamic, adventurous and creative academic couple. Together, they wrote textbooks, adapted and performed "Beowulf," and conducted fieldwork in Spain and New Zealand. They moved to Lexington, where Kristin was a professor of communication at the University of Kentucky, and they lived in Thessaloniki, Greece, where they taught at Anatolia College in 1968 and1969. In Thessaloniki, their beloved daughter Karin was born.
The Valentine family is a part of the fabric of ASU. Gene was longtime a faculty member in the Department of English and an active member of the Emeritus College. Karin was a graduate of the School of Community Resources and Development and the media relations and marketing manager in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. Her husband Tony Roberto is a professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication.
Kristin lived a life driven by love. She was passionate about ASU, literature, speech, the outdoors, social justice, greyhounds and a beloved whippet named Everest. Mostly, though, she was passionate about her husband, Gene, and daughter Karin.
Kristin is preceded in death by her daughter and husband. She is survived by her son-in-law, Roberto, and her devoted students, friends and colleagues.
A celebration of life will be held at noon on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Friendship Village, 2645 E. Southern Ave., Tempe, AZ, 85282.
For those who wish to contribute in her memory:
Karin Valentine Science Communication Scholarship
Kristin Bervig Valentine Scholarship in Performance Studies
ASU Foundation
Attn: Financial Services
P.O. Box 2260
Tempe, Arizona 85280-2260
Att: Karin Valentine Scholarship/Att: Kristin Bervig Valentine Scholarship
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