Former RWC Dean Dr. Dolores Yvonne Straker lost her bout with cancer the morning of Friday, April 4, at the age of 60. Surrounded by friends and family in her hometown of New York City, Dr. Straker fell to the disease that she had been diagnosed with in 2003, just a month after becoming the first African American Dean of Raymond Walters College. Dr. Straker resigned as Dean of RWC after four years, just before the start of Fall Quarter due to her health issues.
“She was a public person with a private health concern,” said Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Bob Howell, at a RWC hosted memorial service held for Dr. Straker.
Dr. Straker earned a B.A. in Linguistics from Queens College, an M.S. in Educational Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Psycholinguistics from Yeshiva University. She began her career as an Assistant Professor of Reading in 1973 at York College/City University of New York. While at the City University of New York, Dr. Straker went on to serve as the SEEK Program Director and Chair, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management, and the University Dean for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Straker leaves behind her son, Brian Kyle Taylor, her mother, and two brothers.
Everyone who knew Dr. Straker is left with memories of her warm kindness and strong courage. During the RWC memorial service held in the Flory Center on April 10, Dr. Howell spoke of his experience as a member of the search committee that hired Dr. Straker as RWC Dean.
Howell said that going into the interview with Dr. Straker, who was his fifth potential candidate, he already had his mind made up on a candidate for the position. But after talking with Dr. Straker for ten minutes, his decision had been overwhelmingly changed.
Dr. Don O’Meara took the job as Interim Dean when Dr. Straker resigned last fall. He says he has taken a lot from Dr. Straker’s tenure as Dean, such as her “patience, integrity, and dignity.”
“Nothing really stressed her out,” Dr. O’Meara said. “Her leadership style came through the personal relationships that she had developed with people. It was powerful.”
Dr. Straker, who had a pair of red boxing gloves hanging in her office symbolizing her courage in her fight against cancer, was also involved in a lot of organizations and professional activities around the community.
“She was a beautiful person both inside and out,” said Shirley Brown, who was a member of the Greater Cincinnati Tech Prep Consortium along with Dr. Straker. “She readily made time out of her busy schedule to meet with me and provide mentoring on a personal and professional basis.”
Dr. Straker’s familiar face will be missed, but never forgotten around the RWC campus. A portrait of Dr. Straker will be hung outside of OneStop in Muntz lobby alongside those of previous deans of RWC.
“She was always happy, even when times got difficult,” said Mabel Gilliam, Dr. Straker’s former administrative assistant. “She was more than just my boss; she was my friend.