Barbara Joan Cicardo

1935 - 2012

Barbara Joan Cicardo, Ph.D.

LAFAYETTE - Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 21, 2012, at a 10:00 a.m. Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist for Barbara Joan Cicardo, Ph.D., 76, who died Thursday, September 13, 2012 at LTAC of Louisiana surrounded by her family. Graveside services will be held on Friday, September 21, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. at Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Pineville.

The family requests that visitation be observed on Thursday, September 20, 2012, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Martin & Castille's Downtown location. A Rosary will be recited during the visitation beginning at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue on Friday from 8:00 a.m. until time of services.

The Very Reverend Monsignor Robie Robichaux, JCL, VG, Pastor of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, will be the celebrant of the funeral mass and will conduct the funeral services. Reverend William Schambough, Associate Pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church, will concelebrate.

Barbara Cicardo was born and raised in Alexandria, LA. She graduated Valedictorian from Providence Central High School in 1952 and was the recipient of the American Legion of Honor Award and was active in Student Council, debate, and the yearbook. She was a member of the National Honors Society. She graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now known as University of Louisiana at Lafayette) with a B.A. in English, Spanish, and Social Studies in 1956. From 1956-1965, she taught English at Providence Central High School. In 1970, she received her Ph.D. in English from St. Louis University.

Barbara Cicardo was hired at UL as an Assistant Professor of English in 1970, tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 1975, and promoted to full professor in 1982. She was Director of the Freshman English Program from 1975-79. From 1976-85, she was Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities. From 1982-2001, she was also the Director of Academic Planning and Faculty Development. She was Coordinator of the Canadian Studies Program from 1983-89.

Dr. Cicardo was also a member of the Board of Regions Task Force on General Education from 1984-87. She was elected statewide Representative for Higher Education on the State Health Insurance Board of the Office of Group Benefits for many years.

Director of more than a dozen Ph.D. dissertations at UL, Dr. Cicardo continued to teach until her death. She was responsible for the acquisition of over half a million dollars in grants for UL. She was awarded the UL Distinguished Professor Award in 1979 and was given the LEH Special Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Humanities in the State of Louisiana in 1987. She was the recipient of the UL Award of Merit for Service. She was awarded the Best Teacher Award, UL National Panhellenic Council in 2004. She was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma.

Amongst her many other accomplishments, Dr. Cicardo was a member of numerous organizations including Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. She was a long-time lector of St. Mary's Catholic Church. She wrote a grant for Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center to the American Heart Association and was a consultant for Lourdes Wellness Program in 2001.

Outside of her literary interests, Barbara loved playing the organ and piano, plus attending the symphony, films, and theater productions. She has been a steadfast friend to her contemporaries from childhood to the present and has been devoted to her family, friends, colleagues, and her faith throughout her life.

She was a long-time friend and supporter of the Carmelite Monastery. The family requests that if friends do not wish to send flowers to the funeral home that they make a donation to the Carmelite Monastery, 1250 Carmel Drive, Lafayette, LA 70501, 337-232-4651.

Father Walter J. Ong, internationally-renowned English scholar and Barbara's teacher at St. Louis University, had this to say about her when she was his student: "Miss Barbara Cicardo is a highly-intelligent, industrious student, with a sure sense of direction and determination, completely committed to teaching and scholarship…. As a teaching assistant here, Bobbie Cicardo was one of the best we have ever had. She is an outgoing person, good-humored, high-spirited, very kind, easy to get along with and cooperative, though not the kind of person who can be pushed around, very understanding, with wonderful integrity of character and wide intellectual and artistic interests. She finds tremendous satisfaction in teaching and will doubtless devote her entire life to it."

Survivors include one sister, Constance LaRochelle; one niece, Barbara LaRochelle Cutrera, and her husband, Budge Cutrera III; and one great-nephew, Joseph Cutrera. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Cicardo and Sara Glorioso Cicardo.

View the obituary and guest book on-line at www.mourning.com .

Martin & Castille - DOWNTOWN is located at 330 St. Landry Street, Lafayette, LA. 70506. 337-234-2311.