Memorial Resolution of the Academic Staff Assembly

of the University of Wisconsin- Madison

On the death of Dianne C. Bowcock

Interim Director of the LEAD Center, College of Engineering

Dianne Bowcock passed away surrounded by her loving family at her home on February 7, 2004. She lived with breast cancer for some 10 years until the disease finally claimed her life at age 57. She is survived by her husband, Thomas Schwab, her daughters Maimoona and Lauren, and many friends and colleagues, all of whom miss her greatly.

In her professional life, Dianne was a teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, and educational researcher. She earned her Ph.D. from the UW-Madison in international education in 1984, while serving the UW-Madison community as a member of the Center for Biology Education’s research staff. She continued serving our community as a member of the Learning through Evaluation, Adaptation and Dissemination (LEAD) Center from 1995 through summer 2003. First as a researcher and then as a scientist, she served the LEAD Center as one of its finest evaluators and then also undertook and superbly performed the roles of associate director and interim director.

In all her work, as in the rest of her life, Dianne was known for her wisdom, good sense, and superb contributions as an evaluator. She was known by all as someone who always thoughtfully considered the needs of her colleagues and evaluation clients. She was a truly wise and supportive team player, and a superb mentor for her less experienced colleagues. She demonstrated a passion for doing the right thing in the right way.

I feel very fortunate I am to have known Dianne. In countless ways, and up to the very end, she modeled for me a life of integrity, courage and grace. I seek to honor her memory by carrying forward in my own life all that I learned from her.

Susan Millar

Former Director of the LEAD Center