Leslie Hope Jarmon

JARMON Once in a lifetime, someone may come who changes your world in a tangible and brilliant way. Leslie Hope Jarmon, (October 16, 1952' November 24, 2009), was truly such a person. Born to Joyce Hope and the late Jake Jarmon in Corpus Christi, Texas, Leslie displayed curiosity and enthusiasm for life's great mysteries, culminating, but not ending, with her doctorate in communications from the University of Texas in 1993. Scholars are unknowingly indebted to her for being the first in the world to submit her dissertation on CD-ROM. Her desire to share knowledge led to a wide variety of teaching opportunities including the American School in Athens, Greece, the Peace Corps in Costa Rica and Ecuador, and the University of Indiana. From 1995 until her latest position as UT Faculty Development Specialist, she was an instructor at UTAustin. Vital to her life were pursuits of a spiritual nature. An early practitioner of transcendental meditation, she became an avid student of Buddhism and a continuous advocate for world peace. A trail-blazer in the use of the virtual reality, Second Life, as an advanced form of communication, she was committed to bringing the world closer together. A life-long music lover, Leslie enjoyed singing and playing piano, guitar and violin. Sharing music with her family and others was one of her greatest joys. She also had a deep love of the theatre, studying at one time with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof in New York. Leslie spent two years with co-author Peter Yokel travelling and writing The John Chapman Stories, a collection of interviews of people across the nation involved in grassroots community improvement. Coincidentally, Leslie and her father died on the same date; he preceded her by 35 years. She is survived by her mother, Joyce Jarmon, of Corpus Christi; brother, Jake Jarmon, of Terlingua, brother and sister-in-law, Paul and Annette Jarmon, of Austin; brother, Spencer Jarmon of Austin and brother, Fred Jarmon and sister, Jo Ann Jarmon both of Corpus Christi. Leslie especially adored her nieces and nephews: Zeke, Zephyr, Parker, Stewart, Jake, and Brown Jarmon, all of Austin, Hope Moon of Corpus Christi, Miles Kerr and Aric Overstreet of Dallas, Mariah Watkins and Matthew Stephens of Austin, and Christopher Jarmon of Stanley, Virginia.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Leslie Jarmon Education Trust 3005 S Lamar D-109 PMB 148 Austin, Texas 78704, Samten Tse Charitable Society Lotus Garden 1991 Pine Grove Rd. Stanley, VA 22851.A celebration of her life will be held on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Mercury Hall, 615 Cardinal Ln, Austin, Texas.