[Vwoolf] Sad News From Suzette

[Kristin Czarnecki]

Dear Woolfians,

Suzette Henke, Professor Emerita at the University of Louisville, lost her beloved husband and partner of thirty years, James Francis Rooney, on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2014. The obituary and several photos appear below.

Best,

Kristin

Dr. James Francis Rooney died of pneumonia at Audubon Hospital on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2014. Born in Spokane, Washington, Jim was educated at Gonzaga University and earned an M. A. in Sociology from UC-Berkeley.  He claimed the status of an original "bobo" (bourgeois bohemian), having spent his youth traveling the country on freight trains and interviewing hobos and migrant workers for sociological research. Jim received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and dedicated his academic career to the study of contemporary Social Problems. He published a book (in Spanish) on Adolescent Alcohol Use in Spain and co-authored a text on The Sociology of the Free-lance Musician, punningly subtitled In the Pits. Jim taught Sociology at the University of Virginia (where he met Suzette), the Catholic University of America, and Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg. He spent two years doing research in Spain--once on a Fulbright--and spoke Spanish fluently.

Jim and Suzette were married in Dublin, Ireland, on Bloomsday, 16 June 2004. For more than two decades, they traveled the world together -from Suzette's Fulbright year in Australia, to Jim's research years in Spain, to conference and tourist trips around the globe. Their peregrinations included China, Morocco, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands. In July 2013 they went on a tented safari to the Serengeti in Tanzania, fulfilling one great dream on their "bucket list."

With a wry sense of Irish wit and humor, Jim faced life's challenges with equanimity. He was much loved and appreciated by all who knew him and was greatly admired by the numerous students he taught and inspired. He had the honor of being recognized as a Penn State Distinguished Teaching Professor in Behavioral Sciences.

Jim was preceded in death by his son Sean Francis Rooney Sr. and is survived by his wife, Suzette Henke, Professor Emerita at the University of Louisville; his daughter Cynthia Lorraine Rooney of Syracuse NY; his two grandsons, Sean Francis Rooney Jr. and Connor Rooney, both of Harrisburg PA; and his great-grand-daughter, Abbigail Pearl Rooney.

1424 Sylvan Way, Louisville KY 40205
502-930-9308
suzette.henke at louisville.edu


JAMES FRANCIS ROONEY




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