Joan Roussel Sargent

I was in Monza Naff's writing group with Roussel for several years. She was witty, a gifted poet and prose writer, and she gave excellent feedback (even though not all of it was positive). Like me, she loved cats. I wish I had taken some of her English classes. She said that a literature teacher should love the material and the students, and I agree with that wholeheartedly.

It is wonderful to read the tributes to Roussel from her students, which show what a kind and generous person she was. To us, she was a vital part of our family, far more than just "Mum's cousin". Although separated by thousands of miles for much of the time, we always loved her visits and correspondence. She had the gift of feeling and showing genuine interest in everyone she met. I was lucky enough to visit her twice in Oakland and have happy memories of time with her there too. Her unusual name lives on in the names of my sister and my younger daughter. Roussel touched and enriched many lives.

While I was saddened to hear of her death, I was pleased to learn that Roussel lived to such a ripe old age and I'm sure she felt blessed with a wonderful life. She taught me at Mills in the early Seventies and I remember not only her insight and passion for literature but her very kind and genenerous heart. I was a young single mother, and once when she heard that I was having difficulties she brought out her checkbook and insisted I take a loan for groceries, which I indeed paid back. She was a real lady and an inspiring model.

She was one of my favorite professors! Kind, caring and dedicated to creating a fire within in her students. She made me proud to be an English Major. I am saddened by her passing. Rest in Peace...

May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

Dr. Roussel Sargent was my all time favorite teacher. In the classroom, she was brilliant, witty, and passionate about literature. Outside of the classroom, she was compassionate and caring beyond measure. When I became seriously ill and had to drop out of college in my sophomore year, I worried about my past due papers and grades. However, Roussel allayed my fears and told me to focus on getting well. Never mind the papers! Years later, when I was teaching, a colleague told me that when she was at Mills, she had some family problems but was not financially able to get home to check in -- and Roussel called her into her office and gave her plane tickets. Throughout my teaching career, I have always remembered the many kindnesses that Roussel extended -- whether it was to listen to an unconventional interpretation of a William Blake poem or to be supportive when life happens. She has indeed touched many hearts and many lives.

We will miss you miss Sargent.
All of us kids remembered you when we were growing up.
Rest in Peace

At Mills, Dr. Sargent's instruction fostered passion in language, literature, and learning. Thirty years after taking her class, I still cherish her insights, her engaging manner. I'd like to think a little of her lives in each of her students when she shares her love of Blake's "Songs of Innocence", Shelley's "Ode on a Grecian Urn", or Woolf's "A Room of One's Own".