Legacy Lives on Though Students
By: Robert Cornell
The Department of Education is suffering two great losses. Dr. Sandra Shorter, who was the Department of Education Chair, and Dr. Earl Hill, who was a professor in the department, have passed away.
“Working together works,” was Dr. Sandra Shorter’s famous motto for her meetings with the department. It was apparent that Dr. Shorter was extremely passionate about her career. She worked in the department for 25 years and taught multiple courses, including: birth through kindergarten, special education, and reading. She was known as a dynamic speaker, who was very involved in organizations, such as: United Way, CHUM, Jack and Jill of America, Links Inc., and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Dr. Earl Hill was known in the Department of Education as the “jokester with the candy,” because he always brought a joke and candy around with him. He, like Dr. Shorter, also taught courses in birth through kindergarten, along with Master courses in education. He was a math specialist and the founder of the Benjamin Banneker Math Clinic, a clinic that provides math tutoring for students in kindergarten all the way to 7th grade. Off campus, Dr. Hill was also very involved. He worked on the Time Warner Community channel doing interviews every Wednesday discussing different issues in education, and also worked on the show “The Association of Youths with Disabilities.”
Mrs. Coneasha Thomas, the new department chair, remembers Dr. Shorter and Dr. Hill as “[being] full of life. They treated the faculty and staff like family, they went above and beyond for their students, and were always there for others without hesitation.” Dr. Shorter and Dr. Hill, as well what they have done for FSU and the community, will not be forgotten.
