Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Infobox_Scientist
name = Jocelyne Couture-Nowak


image_width = 100px
caption = Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
birth_date = March 1958
birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada
death_date = death date and age|2007|4|16|1958|3|1
death_place = Blacksburg, Virginia
residence =
citizenship =
nationality = Canadian
ethnicity =
field = French language
work_institution = Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
alma_mater = Nova Scotia Teachers College (Truro), Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
doctoral_advisor =
doctoral_students =
known_for =
author_abbreviation_bot =
author_abbreviation_zoo =
prizes =
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Jocelyne M. Couture-Nowak (March 1958 - April 16, 2007) was an instructor of French in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia and was the only Canadian victim of the Virginia Tech massacre. She was a native of Canada, and while residing in Truro, Nova Scotia, she co-founded the first Francophone school in the region. cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/vatechshootings/victims/Jocelyne_Couture-Nowak.html | title = Jocelyne Couture-Nowak | publisher = Washington Post| accessdate = 2007-04-19] cite news |title=Remembering Jocelyne |url=http://www.trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=78366&sc=68 |publisher= "Truro Daily News" | first= Monique |last= Chaisson|date= August 11, 2007]

Life and career

Born in Montreal, Quebec as Jocelyne Couture, she was raised in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia as the eldest of five children. She graduated from Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School in 1981.

Couture initially worked at a newly-opened daycare operated by the Yarmouth Boys and Girls Club. She began to pursue her teaching career at the Nova Scotia Teachers College in Truro. She graduated in 1989 then obtained a degree from St. Mary's University in Halifax in the early 1990s. While living in Truro, Couture worked as a French instructor in the Humanities Department at Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC). She married Jerzy Nowak, an instructor in the Horticulture Department at NSAC. Couture-Nowak had two daughters, Sylvie and Francine Dulong. [cite news | last=Johnston | first=Beth | title=Couture-Nowak had zest for life | publisher=The Daily News (Halifax) | date=2007-04-21 | url=http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=24284&sc=89 | accessdate=2007-08-05] [cite web | title=Joecelyne Couture Nowak | url=http://nsac.ca/development/memorial/JocelyneCouture.pdf | accessdate=2007-08-05]

With two other local Francophone parents, Couture-Nowak established the "École acadienne de Truro", the first French language public school for central Nova Scotia in September, 1997.cite news |title=Remembering Jocelyne |url=http://www.trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=78366&sc=68 |publisher= "Turo Daily News" | first= Monique |last= Chaisson|date= August 11, 2007] cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/vatechshootings/victims/Jocelyne_Couture-Nowak.html | title = Jocelyne Couture-Nowak | publisher = Washington Post| accessdate = 2007-04-19] Operated by the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, the École acadienne de Truro has grown from 36 students in 1997 to 118 students in grades Primary through 10. The school's first class of seniors graduated in 2006.

In 2001, Couture-Nowak and her husband moved their family to Blacksburg, Virginia where her husband had accepted a position as Professor and Head of the Department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech. Couture-Nowak accepted a position as an Instructor of French in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. [cite web | title=Jocelyne Couture-Nowak | publisher=Nova Scotia Agricultural College | url=http://nsac.ca/development/memorial/JocelyneCouture.pdf | accessdate=2007-12-08]

Throughout her life Couture-Nowak described herself as being a proud French-Canadian. [cite news | url = http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/04/17/qc-quebecvictim20070417.html| title = Victim from Quebec was "proud Canadian, dedicated to French" | publisher = CBC News| accessdate = 2007-04-17]

Death

Couture-Nowak was teaching an Intermediate French class in Room 211 at Norris Hall on the morning of April 16, 2007 when she was killed by Seung-Hui Cho as one of the 32 victims in the Virginia Tech massacre. Couture-Nowak, one of the first to be shot in Norris 211, was 49 years old when she died.

After Clay Violand, one of Couture-Nowak's students, told her to place a desk in front of the door [cite news | url=http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/19/Worldandnation/Pop__pop__then_panic.shtml| title = Virginia Tech tragedy - Pop, pop, then panic | publisher = St. Petersburg Times| accessdate = 2007-07-31] , Couture-Nowak had her students barricade the classroom door with a desk and then ushered her students to the back of the class for their safety while 911 was called. The attempt at barricading the door proved unsuccessful. [cite news | url = http://www.thestar.com/News/article/204866 | title = Canadian's class hardest hit | publisher = Toronto Star| accessdate = 2007-04-19] Couture-Nowak and 11 of the 22 registered students cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/us/20070417_SHOOTING_GRAPHIC.html?ex=1177732800&en=7f033140a028fa2d&ei=5070| title="Shooting Graphic"] perished. Couture-Nowak died in front of the door [http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-french25apr25,1,7050587.story?page=2&coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=3&cset=true] and next to the teacher's desk. [http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-042507-na-french-g,1,3604642.graphic?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=2&cset=true]

Posthumous recognition

In Nova Scotia, more than 400 people attended a commemorative service for her. [ [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070420/CPMONDE/70420132/1019/CPACTUALITES Amis et ex-collègues de Jocelyne Couture-Nowak lui rendent hommage] , Presse Canadienne, Published April 20, 2007, Retrieved on June 4, 2007. (French)] In speeches given in the Canadian parliament shortly after the shooting, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Opposition leader Stéphane Dion made special mention of Couture-Nowak. Nova Scotian Premier Rodney MacDonald also made special mention of Couture-Nowak, and in particular spoke of her contribution to the francophone community with her key role in the development of "École acadienne" in Truro. [cite news | url = http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20070418005 | title = Province Offers Condolences to Families of Virginia Tech Shooting Victims | publisher =Government of Nova Scotia | accessdate = 2007-04-20]

Couture-Nowak was discussed, along with Liviu Librescu, as potentially becoming the "iconic image that will forever recall the massacre at Virginia Tech" by CBC News Editor-in-Chief Tony Burman. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/news/about/burman/letters/2007/04/a_story_of_victims_and_issues.html A story of victims and issues, not only the killer] , Letters from the Editor in Chief, By Tony Burman, CBC News, April 18, 2007, retrieved July 24, 2007]

Virginia Tech named her an "Honorary Distinguished Instructor" ["Virginia Tech graduation: Tears mix with joy as victims are honored", "Richmond Times-Dispatch", May 13, 2007] [cite news |title=2007-08 budget, new academic and student affairs building among the resolutions approved by Virginia Tech Board of Visitors
url=http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=328 |publisher= Virginia Tech |first=Larry| last= Hincker |date= June 5, 2007] and the Virginia Tech Foundation established the Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Scholarship, awarded to French majors annually. [ [http://www.hort.vt.edu/memorial.htm#french] , Department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech website, Retrieved on Feb. 19, 2008.] Nova Scotia Agricultural College also established a bursary in her name. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2007/04/20/nowak-memorial.html Virginia Tech teacher remembered as loving, passionate ] ]

Students at Virginia Tech have also organized a new foreign language program named "Teach for Madame" in honor of Couture-Nowak, wherein members teach French to elementary school students.cite news |title= Teaching for “Madame” |url=http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/new_river_valley/article/teaching_for_madame/5658/ |publisher= "WSLS-TV" | first= Ashley |last= Roberts |date= February 13, 2008] cite news |title= Virginia Tech students remember a teacher's 'natural gift'|url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/150708 |publisher= "The Roanoke Times" | first= Anna L. |last= Mallory |date= February 22, 2008]

In May 2008, Virginia Tech named Couture-Nowak's surviving husband Jerzy Nowak as the founding director of its newly created Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.cite news |title= Professor Who Lost His Wife In Killings to Lead Peace Center |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052802272.html?hpid=sec-education|publisher= "Washington Post" | first= Nick|last=Miroff | |date= May 29, 2008 ]

References

Further reading

* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/jocelyne_couturenowak/index.html Times Topics: Jocelyne Couture-Nowak] , "The New York Times," Retrieved on June 4, 2007
* [http://www.vt.edu/remember/biographies/jocelyne_couture_nowak.html We Remember: Biographies - Jocelyne Couture-Nowak] , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Retrieved on June 4, 2007
*cite news |title= N.S. school mourns French teacher killed in Virginia massacre |url= http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=38a786f6-17e5-4d2e-acce-b5d3921a77db&k=74372 |publisher= CanWest News Service |date=April 20, 2007
*cite news |title= Canadian's class hardest hit |url= http://www.thestar.com/News/article/204866 |publisher= Toronto Star |date=April 19, 2007
*cite news |title= Former N.S. teacher likely died protecting kids, friend says |publisher= The Chronicle-Herald|first=Steve|last=Bruce |date=April 18, 2007
*cite news |title=La classe de Jocelyne Couture-Nowak décimée ? |url= http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070418/CPMONDE/70418197/6613/CPMONDE |publisher=Le Soleil Canadian Press| first= Beth |last= Gorham |date=April 18, 2007 fr icon
*cite news |title= Former East Mountain resident Jocelyne Couture-Nowak victim in Virginia Tech tragedy | url=http://www.trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=23470&sc=68 |publisher: The Truro Daily News |first=Monique |last=Chiasson |date=April 18, 2007| accessdate = 2007-04-20
*cite news |title=Slain Canadian was passionate about her teaching |url= http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070418.wshootingcanadian18/BNStory/Front |publisher=The Globe and Mail | first= Lucille |last= Hagège |date=April 18, 2007
*cite news |title= Campus Remembers Va. Tech Professor |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042401488.html |publisher= The Washington Post / Associated Press| first=Vicki |last= Smith |date=April 24, 2006

*cite news |title= Une enseignante canadienne figure parmi les victimes abattues à Virginia Tech |url= http://www.tqs.ca/infos/2007/04/N041757AU.php |publisher= TQS |date=April 17, 2007 fr icon
* Toronto Star (April 18, 2007) "The victims; Besides Canadian Jocelyne Couture - Nowak , these shooting victims had been identified as of last night."
* CBS News. (April 18, 2007) " [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/18/virginiatechshooting/main2698324.shtml Jocelyne Couture-Nowak.] "
* Cody Lowe, Cody. (April 18, 2007) The Roanoke Times. " [http://www.roanoke.com/vtvictims/wb/113515 Jocelyne Couture-Nowak: Husband and wife were associated with Tech and recently bought home in Blacksburg.] "
* Ha, tu Thanh; Freeman, Alan. (April 18, 2007) The Globe and Mail "Slain Canadian was passionate about her teaching: Jocelyne Couture - Nowak remembered as a nature enthusiast who loved life." Section: International News; Page A15.
* Vieira, Meredith. (April 19, 2007) NBC Today Show " [http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&g=044ef28d-ef75-4828-bd26-b4156952b3e4&p=hotvideo_m_vatech_victims&t=c3565&rf=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18198395/&fg= Profile: Professors Jessica Folkart and Mary Paddock talk about Jocelyne Couture - Nowak and Jamie Bishop, two language instructors killed Monday at Virginia Tech.] " Time: 7:00-10:00 AM EST.
* Christianson, John. (April 20, 2007) Truro Daily News. " [http://trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=24245&sc=68 Jocelyne Couture-Nowak: "the total package."] "
* Slaton, Jeremy. (April 25, 2007) Richmond Times-Dispatch "Jocelyne Couture - Nowak : Found joy in teaching." Section: Area/State; Page A9.
* Kitchener Record. (April 25, 2007) "Fond memories of teacher; Hundreds at Virginia Tech gather to pay tribute to Canadian Couture -Nowak." Section: Front; Page A6.
* Smith, Lauren. (April 27, 2007) Chronicle of Higher Education. "Jocelyne Couture - Nowak." Volume 53; Issue 34.