Dr. Carol J. Cargill

CARGILL, DR. CAROL J., of Narragansett, RI, passed away Monday, July 25, 2005, from complications of breast cancer.

Dr. Cargill was born in Providence, RI. After completing a B.A. in Russian from Brown University, she worked for the U.S. government as a translator and researcher. She went on to obtain a M.A. in Slavic Languages from New York University and a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Georgetown University. She was first and foremost an educator, devoting her life to teaching and directing several university-based ESL programs and ESL teacher-training programs. She was the founder and long-time director of the International Language Institute (now English Language Institute) at the University of South Florida. For the last 28 years, she was a professor of applied linguistics and foreign languages at the University of South Florida, first in Tampa, then in St. Petersburg. She was also the president of the Pan American University Foundation, through which she served as a consultant and coordinated an ESL program for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' non-English speaking players.

Over the years, Dr. Cargill did research on second-language acquisition, cultural bias in standardized testing, listening comprehension and cross-cultural communication, presenting papers and workshops all over the world. Dr. Cargill published 5 books and numerous articles in international journals; her last book will be published posthumously. She was involved with the Tampa chapter of Sister Cities International and served as the Rhode Island State Coordinator for Sister Cities. She was also involved with Women in International Trade (WIT) and the Tampa Bay International Business Council. She was the founder and former president of Sunshine State TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Bay Area TESOL, and a past president of the Florida Foreign Language Association, National TESOL and numerous other organizations. Committed to increasing cross-cultural understanding, she was truly a global citizen.

She is survived by her mother, Audrey Koleman, of Largo, FL; two brothers, Warren Cargill, of Clearwater, FL, and Timothy Cargill, of Herndon, VA; a step-brother, Phillip Heckert, of Charlotte, NC; one child, Tynan Cargill Power (formerly Tara Power), of Northhampton, MA; and two grandsons, Yahya Alazrak and Justin Melrose, also of Northampton, MA. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews in the Largo, FL area, the Washington, DC area, and Narragansett, RI. She leaves an extended family of friends and colleagues around the globe.

A memorial service will be held at St. Peter's By-The-Sea Church in Narragansett, RI, on Saturday, October 1, at 2 p.m.