Alexa Albert

ALBERT, ALEXA, who taught sociology courses to thousands of University of Rhode Island students in her 26 years on the faculty, died Tuesday, May 2, 2007, at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence after a 14-year battle with breast cancer. She was 61. Alexa was the wife of URI Economics Professor Yngve Ramstad and the mother of Kathryn, who will graduate in June from the Lincoln School.

Alexa was born March 14, 1946, in Bethlehem, PA, a daughter of Henry Albert and Kathryn Caparanis Albert. She earned a B.S. degree in sociology and psychology from Cedar Crest College, an M.A. degree in social relations from Lehigh University and a Ph.D. in sociology from Bryn Mawr College. Prior to joining the URI faculty in 1981, she taught at Villanova University, LaSalle College, Bryn Mawr and the University of Minnesota. She was promoted to full professor in 1997.

Alexa loved teaching and students; twice she was nominated for the URI Teaching Excellence Award. She motivated her students - both in Kingston and in Providence - to connect sociology to life and to care. They went with her en masse to women's basketball games in Keaney Gym and then wrote about the experience. They walked the Kingston campus and local roadways with her, picking up trash and then analyzing what they found. Her 'Intimate Relations' course at times had twice as many students as its limit.

Alexa also loved animals, and for a number of years she served on the board of directors and the fund-raising committee of the Animal Rescue League of Southern Rhode Island. Her research on pets in American households earned her national recognition. In 1986 she was named an associate of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, and in 1996 she was appointed an adjunct faculty member in the Veterinary School. Her 1994 publication was said to be among the first to provide empirical data about the nature of the link between pet ownership and health, and was called 'a breakthrough piece' by one scholar. At the time of her death, the family shared their home with three dogs and two cats. Despite her avowed dislike of committee work, Alexa's URI activities included the Faculty Senate, the AAUP Grievance Committee, the Research Council, the Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee and the Women's Studies Advisory Committee. She was acting chair of the Sociology Department for a semester.

In addition to her husband, daughter and mother, Alexa is survived by her sister, Lois Stanczak; her brother-in-law, Marty Stanczak; a nephew, John Stanczak; and a niece, Jill Halbruner. She also is survived by countless friends, who will miss her dearly.

Arrangements will be private; a celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Donations in Alexa's name can be made to the Animal Rescue League of Southern Rhode Island, PO Box 458, Wakefield, RI 02880. Arrangements by Avery-Storti Funeral Home.