by Nara Shin | News Writer
Assistant professor Kathy Watts, who served Whitworth as an access service librarian, passed away on Nov. 27 after battling cancer. Watts started her journey at Whitworth in 2013 by developing the Harriet Cheney Cowles Memorial Library’s digital services.
On Nov. 30, the Whitworth community reflected on Watt’s life with a service of lament and prayer in the Seeley G. Mudd Chapel and on Zoom.
Jennifer Brown, professor of French, as well as the world languages and cultures department chair, was Watts’ faculty mentor when she first came to Whitworth. Watts surprised Brown with her logistical knowledge and her desire to see the bigger picture of Whitworth’s mission.
“Before I could mentor Kathy, I had to let her mentor me. And that’s who she was: sharp, funny, kind, and always looking both at details and at a bigger picture than many of us thought of at first,” Brown said.
Watts’ eagerness early on to know Whitworth’s culture and learn how to work with students with different faith backgrounds and needs served her well over the years. She volunteered on various projects and taught computer codes to women majoring in computer science as a master in the field. Watts also loved improving library resources, along with managing the school website and the institutional repository.
Amanda Clark, library director, worked closely with Watts.
“[Watts] was a tireless teacher, seeking methods to teach our students new ways to find information and use resources,” Clark said. “Not having her with us anymore is such a loss, it’s hard even to comprehend.”
Watts’ expertise also benefited faculty members as she was able to help them implement library technology in their classes.
According to Brown, Watts was a clever woman who changed a quick question into long discussions that ranged over politics, life issues, Whitworth mission and theology.
For Clark, Watts was someone who understood others’ concerns and feelings; she was able to be honest in relationships as a competent communicator.
“More than anything I remember her fantastic laugh and how she could make others laugh,” Clark said. “Her presence …brought out the best of everyone in a room [and] pushed us to be our better selves.”
Marianne Bracke, professor and director of library instructional services, also worked closely with Watts.
“She was always a welcoming presence in the library for people to stop by her office just to say hi, or ask for advice on a work project, or even if they needed a shoulder to cry on,” Bracke said.
In a Whitworth announcement email from Nov. 27, Beck Taylor said, “We pray for Kathy’s husband, Steve ’91, and their two children, Bethany and Nolan, both Whitworth students, as well as for the Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church community, where Steve serves as senior pastor.”
One of Watts’ last contributions was a virtual library tour for first-year students. She worked on this project during the summer with the idea that it could equip students with knowledge about how to use library resources in a safe way during the pandemic.
To view the library’s virtual tour video that Watts orchestrated, visit https://libguides.whitworth.edu/GE125-325.