Our Northwood family recently received the sad news of former Northwood faculty member Dorothy "Dot" Taube, who died peacefully at home on Monday, November 1, at the age of 95. Dot worked at Northwood for over 40 years. In reflection, Reno wrote the following tribute to Dot.
Dot Taube
Dot Taube joined the Northwood faculty in 1973, two years after I arrived on campus. During her years here as a teacher and later as a tutor, she was a model of strength, good humor, and compassion. I got to know her husband, Harry, and children (a couple of them went to Northwood) well. She was deservedly proud of their success; her parenting produced strong, intelligent adults.
As a teacher, she blended incredible organizational and communication skills with patience, focus, and kindness. To colleagues, she offered support, good humor, and much wisdom. I remember that she would offer extra help to some of the freshmen I taught. Nothing she did was done carelessly; she always consulted me about the relationship of each assignment to the goals for the unit. When I taught a work that she wasn't familiar with, she would read it and discuss it with me with unfeigned enthusiasm. She loved talking about Shakespeare.
My memories of her after she left Northwood were mostly of encounters in various stores in town. Her conversations always began with questions about how things were going at the school. The talk often often drifted to local or national news. To the very last time I saw her, her mind was curious and razor-sharp, and her heart was generous and loving. Dot, I, your fellow teachers, and your students loved and admired you.
Picture: Dot in the 1978 Yearbook. It was her fifth year at Northwood, and the caption captured the type of teacher she was throughout her career.