Laurel Harriet Chilk Brodsley

1939 - 2017

May 9, 1939 - August 6, 2017 Laurel Harriet Chilk Brodsley, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N. died of early onset Alzheimer's on August 6, 2017. She was born on May 9, 1939 to Tillie Gamzey Chilk and Joseph Chilk in Los Angeles. She is predeceased by her parents and her brother, Spencer Chilk. She is survived by her husband Roger Clegg, her two children Ruth Brodsley and Jonathan Clegg, and her grandson Jack Clegg. Laurel Brodsley grew up in Los Angeles, graduating from Fairfax High School in 1956, and earned her B.A. with honors from UCLA in 1962. Her UCLA Ph.D. in English literature was on The Structure of Butler's Hudibras. While doing research on the thesis, she lived in Cambridge, England with her then husband and continued friend, Daniel Brodsley, and was a supervisor for undergraduate students at Sidney Sussex and Fitzwilliam colleges. After returning to L.A. in 1972, she established her home in Studio City and pursued dual careers, teaching English Literature at Antioch College West while studying nursing at L.A. Valley College and becoming a Registered Nurse in 1977. She taught English Literature at UCLA from 1981 to 1992, where she also developed unique courses such as AIDS and Plagues in Literature, and Women and Madness. In 1984, she received a Pew Fellowship in Health Policy from the Rand Corporation, and earned her Master of Public Health at UCLA in 1985. She had many publications in both literature and in medicine. She participated in the UCLA medical faculty's Doctoring Program from 1992 to 1997. She continued teaching English Literature at Pepperdine University from 1995 to 2000. She specialized in mental health, and enjoyed working closely with patients at St. Luke's Medical Center in Pasadena and Kaiser Mental Health in downtown L.A. Recognizing early that she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease, she returned to writing poetry, and in 2006 published Alzheimer Poems, available on Amazon. In 2007 she moved to a care facility where her husband Roger visited daily. Her family would like to thank the staff of Shalev Senior Living for their tremendous support and care for the past decade. A Memorial Service will be held at Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, at 11:00 a.m. on August 20. Memorial donations in honor of Laurel Brodsley may be made to Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles.