Dr. Lisa Barlow Memorial Travel Grants

In appreciation for her years of service to the presenters at the TESOL Arabia International Conferences, the TESOL Arabia Executive Council voted to rename the Conference Travel Grant, sometimes called the Travel In Grant, to the Dr. Lisa Barlow Memorial Travel Grant. This change will take place immediately.

The decision was made after a proposal by Justin Shewell, Christine Coombe, and Beth Wiens, all of whom worked closely with Lisa on the Conference Organizing Committee for several years. Below is the text of the proposal.

Dear TESOL Arabia Executive Council Members,

We would like to propose that the TESOL Arabia Conference Travel Grant (Travel In Grant) be renamed to the Dr. Lisa Barlow Memorial Travel Grant, in honor of one of TESOL Arabia’s most dutiful and beloved members and leaders.

Many of you will remember Lisa’s hard work and dedication to TESOL Arabia and its members. In particular, Lisa served as Proposals Co-Chairs on the Conference Committee for several years. Justin remembers her spending hours corresponding with prospective presenters, recruiting submissions, working with the Review Team to ensure quality presentations were accepted, and handling the applications for the Travel-In Grant that allowed many international presenters to attend and present at TESOL Arabia that would not have been able to otherwise.

Although Lisa did not develop the Travel-In Grant, it was one of the grants she worked most closely with. In addition, Lisa was passionate about the Conference and the travel grant, and worked diligently to see that the grant went to deserving international presenters. Therefore, we feel it is the grant that her name should be associated with.

It is our hope that you will consider and approve this proposal in time that an announcement to this effect can be made at the Annual General Meeting of the TESOL Arabia membership at the 2012 TESOL Arabia International Conference on March 10th, 2012 at Dubai Men’s College. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Justin Shewell
Christine Coombe
Beth Wiens

New Photos of Lisa's Gravesite

This summer I traveled with my family and my mother-in-law to Seattle, Washington, by way of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, and the Columbia River Gorge. On our way, we made a stop in Blackfoot, Idaho to visit Lisa's grave. In the pictures I posted last year, just after her burial, there was no tombstone, and the earth over her grave was still without grass. Now, the tombstone is in place and green grass grows quietly over her grave.

For those that didn't know, Lisa is buried in the Riverside-Thomas Cemetery, located in the small town of Riverside, Idaho right next to Blackfoot. To get there, you exit Interstate 15 at exit 93. Then, head west on to the first traffic light and turn left. That is highway 39. Follow that highway for a few miles until you enter Riverside. You'll see a Shell station on your left. Keep going, and after a couple minutes, you will come to a small hill. The cemetery is on the left, just at the top of the hill. There are three small lanes entering the cemetery from the main road. Lisa's grave is about halfway down the middle lane, on the left (east) side of the lane.

I didn't have much time to spend at the cemetery because we had a long way to drive still that day, and we were running very late. However, I was glad I was able to stop by and say hi. Lisa is always on my mind and she still teaches me things everyday.

Remembering Lisa...One Year Later

Today is June 3, the one year anniversary of Lisa's passing. As I woke up today, I thought of her more than I typically do on other days. Lisa was such a kind and thoughtful person, and so giving to me and others around her. She was always thinking of my kids, and when she didn't need something anymore that she thought would be useful to me or my children, she would offer it to me. The laptop my children do their homework on everyday, the copy of Microsoft Office I use on my laptop for school and work, and a few other things remind me of her on a daily basis.

For those who follow the blog, I would love to hear other stories and memories you have of Lisa today. Please feel free to email your stories to me at justin at jshewell dot com, or to leave your stories in the comments below.

Lisa Barlow Memorial Service Announcement from the Gulf News

Lisa Barlow Memorial Service From Gulf News

A Tribute to a Dear Friend and TESOL Arabia Past President

Christine Coombe, Dubai Men's College

For me as an ELT professional, the last few years have been characterized by a number of writing projects and as such I have been fairly prolific. However, this piece, a tribute to my dearest friend and TESOL Arabia Past President, Dr Lisa Barlow, has been the most difficult thing I have ever had to write.

From a personal perspective, knowing and working with Lisa has been a pleasure and has had an impact on my growth as an educator. The very first day I walked into the new offices in UGRU at the UAE University, Lisa took me under her wing, made me feel welcome and showed me the ropes—something she has done for countless people before and after me. Similarly, her quiet and often behind-the-scenes presence at TESOL Arabia events made literally thousands of teachers feel welcome. For me personally, to say that I would not be where I am today without her is an understatement. Lisa has been with me through the many successes I have experienced as an English language educator and has supported me even more through my failures. In fact, I would not be President-elect of TESOL if she had not encouraged me to run a second time.

Earlier this year, Lisa was nominated and received the highly-coveted TESOL Arabia Professional Service Award. This award is intended for an ELT professional who has made a significant impact on the organization and on professional development in the region. In my view, no one has been more deserving of this award than Dr Lisa Barlow who has demonstrated long-term commitment to the organization of TESOL Arabia, including the Executive Council, SIGs, Chapters and the Annual Conferences.

Lisa faithfully served TESOL Arabia since 1997 in a variety of roles, including and most notably, President. She also served the organization as Executive Treasurer, Member-at-Large, Vice President and Past President. Her vast contributions also extend to the annual conferences. She was a frequent presenter at all of our conferences and served as Proposals Chair for many years. Her contributions also extend to the Special Interest Groups, where she served on the TAE SIG Committee for a number of years. Despite a very full teaching schedule, Lisa always managed to share her expertise at a number of SIG and Chapter events throughout the year. Most recently, Lisa was a co-grantee on a US State Department Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) grant which allocated monies for the Teacher Leadership Academy in May 2009 and 2010 and the Leadership in ELT online course.

I am both proud and sad to write this tribute to honor Dr Lisa Barlow’s commitment to her students, the TESOL Arabia organization and to the profession. For me, the loss of her wise advice, sharp wit and smiling face is a profound one as it is for many of her colleagues and friends. The way she handled the devastating news of her illness and the last few months of her life, even managing to finish her doctoral dissertation, was for me truly inspirational. I can only hope that when my time comes Lisa will be waiting for me at the pearly gates ready once again to welcome me, make me feel at home and show me the ropes a second time.

Rest in Peace, Dear Lisa. You will be missed.

Reprinted from TESOL Arabia Perspectives, June 2010 (Volume 17, Issue 2) -- http://www.tesolarabia.org

CTELT 2006

Thanks to John Langille for sending in this picture of Lisa at CTELT 2006. Lisa was almost a fixture at CTELT and the TESOL Arabia conferences. You could always expect to see her working the registration desk, or helping out presenters. And she always had her smile ready to greet anyone who needed help.

Lisa's Gravesite

I was able to visit Lisa's gravesite in Blackfoot, Idaho on Tuesday, June 8th, with her mother and brother and sister-in-law. There is no headstone yet, and they had to wait for the ground to dry out a little before they could replace the sod on her grave because of the rain, but it was nice to be able to pay my respects and visit with her family. As I get more pictures, I will post them here.

This picture shows her mother, her sister-in-law, Carol, and her brother, Bob.