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KENNETH BRUFFEE Obituary

BRUFFEE--Kenneth, Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn College, died peacefully at home on January 20. Kenneth attended Wesleyan University and had a PHD in English from Northwestern University. He was the Director of Freshman English at Brooklyn College at the time of Open Admissions. He wrote the first peer tutoring handbook, A Short Course on Writing (Pearson Longman 2006), now used across the country, and encouraged the creation of Writing Centers staffed by trained peer tutors. Kenneth directed the Scholars Program at Brooklyn College for over thirty years and was a founder of the Honors Academy, leading it until his retirement in 2006. He also authored Collaborative Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press 1998) and Elegiac Romance (Cornell University Press 1983). Kenneth was a wonderful teacher, mentor, father, and husband. He is survived by his wife, Anthea, and his sons, James, Christopher and Michael. Donations in Kenneth's memory may be made at gofundme: Kenneth Bruffee Tuition Scholarship Fund.

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Published by New York Times on Feb. 3, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for KENNETH BRUFFEE

Sponsored by the Bruffee family.

13 Entries

Peaches Gillette

January 3, 2020

I only recently learned of Mr. Bruffee from a dear friend who was a mentee of his quite long ago. The little she told me of him and his obvious dedication to not just teaching, but to a humanistic and cooperative philosophy about education in general was enough to make me admire him. May peace and love cradle him eternally. May hope and love be with you all.

Tricia Nelson

February 8, 2019

My deepest condolences to the Bruffee family. I did not know Kenneth, but I do know his son, James. Based on his personality and love for his friends, I know his dad must have been an awesome person also.

Eric Klinger

February 5, 2019

Thank you for inviting me and my students to be part of the "Conversation of Mankind." Your peer tutoring articles are a staple of my tutor training. Your work has contributed to a better world and you will be missed greatly!

Brian Fallon

February 5, 2019

Ken Bruffee had a profound influence on my life. He changed the way I thought about learning, writing, and thinking, especially in relation to others. I am grateful to have spent an afternoon with him talking about peer tutors at a cafe in Prospect Park, Brooklyn a little more than ten years ago. He was generous with his time and knowledge. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Joan Mullin

February 5, 2019

His contributions to the field of writing and writing centers is only eclipsed by his generous mentoring of so many of us. Kenneth Bruffee's legacy and name continues even in his passing.

Margaret Ervin

February 4, 2019

We are reading Peer Tutoring and the Conversation of Mankind this week in my peer tutoring class. For me, he will always be the most inspiring voice from the beginning of the modern writing center movement. What great benefit he has been to so many!

Beth Daniell

February 4, 2019

I learned so much about teaching writing from Ken Bruffee's Short Course, and my students have also profited.

Maryann Feola

February 4, 2019

As a young tutor, and later on as a faculty member, I was enriched by working alongside 40+ colleagues from across the US at two summer workshops given by Ken. His views on the teaching of writing, his seminal work on collaborative learning, and his brilliant idea of "the descriptive outline" still inform my teaching and writing.". More importantly, his work has enriched the education of countless students across the country whose professors learned from Ken. A great legacy.
My heartfelt condolences to his family.

Clint Gardner

February 4, 2019

Ken Bruffee changed the world. His work on peer-to-peer learning, peer tutoring, and writing centers has made a difference in countless lives.

February 4, 2019

'm very sorry to hear of your precious loss. May your memories always bring smiles to your faces and comfort to your hearts. And may the God Of All Comfort help you through this difficult time. Isaiah 61:1,2. May Kenneth's memory be a blessing.

Linda Maria Grasso

February 4, 2019

Ken Bruffee has a special place in my heart and I will always be grateful for all the gifts he gave me, which are as meaningful to me now as they were then. Ken was a wonderful mentor who played an important role in my intellectual development and career. I was lucky enough to study with him in an honors seminar on modernism in the early 1980s. Then in my early twenties, I was just returning to college. An inspirational teacher and lovely human being, Ken encouraged me, bolstered my confidence, and even recommended a paper I wrote for another class (!) for a prize, which it won. Throughout graduate school and my first teaching job, I used his collaborative learning pedagogical techniques, which I continue to use to this day. To all those who loved him and whose lives he enriched, please accept my sympathy. I hope that it can be of some comfort to you to know his ideas and spirit live on in my classroom and many others. Linda Maria Grasso, York College, CUNY

Elaine Maimon

February 3, 2019

Ken was a transformative leader in higher education. So much that is main stream today--writing program administration, peer groups, collaborative learning--were pioneered by Ken. His legacy has helped countless students to become independent thinkers and writers. So many of us in higher education from across the nation join Anthea and the family in mourning Ken's loss and celebrating his life.

M. J. Smith and Sons Funeral Home

January 21, 2019

Our thoughts are with the family and friends during this difficult time.

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