66, of Shorewood, Illinois, died August 12, 2011, at home surrounded by her loving husband and three daughters. She fought a long, hard battle with cancer.
Gena was born March 8, 1945, in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Eugene and Irene Roinick. After leaving the New York area, she was raised in New Jersey with her brother Eugene Roinick.
She holds a doctorate in higher education from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, as well as a master’s in education and a certificate of advanced study in administration and supervision from SUNY at Plattsburgh. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business education from Montclair State College in New Jersey.
She devoted the majority of her career to community colleges, holding faculty and administrative posts at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio, Genesee Community College in Batavia, New York and Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, New York before joining Joliet Junior College. The list of accomplishments during her career is long and notable. She has left an amazing legacy at all of the schools that will be remembered by many for years to come.
Gena is survived by her husband William E. Proulx, her three daughters and their spouses; Noreen and John Lester, of Morrisville, North Carolina, Nicole and Greg Liddell, of Austin, Texas, and Gisele and Dan Johnson, of New Albany, Ohio; six grandchildren, including Kathryn and Matthew Lester, Ian and Drew Liddell, and Ethan and Aidan Johnson. Additional survivors include her mother, Irene Roinick of Crest Hill, Illinois; brother and sister-in-law Eugene and Linda Roinick of Gainesville, Florida.
A memorial visitation will be held Wednesday, August 17, 2011 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Joliet Chapel. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society, Joliet Area Community Hospice or the JJC Foundation “Dr. Gena Proulx Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund”.
FRED C. DAMES FUNERAL HOME
3200 Black at Essington Rd., Joliet∼OBITUARY FOR;
Eugenia Proulx
Proulx, Eugenia I. “Gena” Eugenia “Gena” I. Proulx, 66, of Shorewood, Illinois, died August 12, 2011, at home surrounded by her loving husband and three daughters. She fought a long, hard battle with cancer. Gena was born March 8, 1945, in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Eugene and Irene Roinick. After leaving the New York area, she was raised in New Jersey with her brother Eugene Roinick. She holds a doctorate in higher education from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, as well as a master’s in education and a certificate of advanced study in administration and supervision from SUNY at Plattsburgh. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business education from Montclair State College in New Jersey. She devoted the majority of her career to community colleges, holding faculty and administrative posts at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio, Genesee Community College in Batavia, New York and Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, New York before joining Joliet Junior College. The list of accomplishments during her career is long and notable. She has left an amazing legacy at all of the schools that will be remembered by many for years to come. Gena is survived by her husband William E. Proulx, her three daughters and their spouses; Noreen and John Lester, of Morrisville, North Carolina, Nicole and Greg Liddell, of Austin, Texas, and Gisele and Dan Johnson, of New Albany, Ohio; six grandchildren, including Kathryn and Matthew Lester, Ian and Drew Liddell, and Ethan and Aidan Johnson. Additional survivors include her mother, Irene Roinick of Crest Hill, Illinois; brother and sister-in-law Eugene and Linda Roinick of Gainesville, Florida. A memorial visitation will be held Wednesday, August 17, 2011 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Joliet Chapel. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society , Joliet Area Community Hospice or the JJC Foundation “Dr. Gena Proulx Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund”. FRED C. DAMES FUNERAL HOME 3200 Black at Essington Rd., Joliet For information (815) 741-5500 www.fredcdames.com
Published in Herald News on August 16, 2011
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JJC Community Lauds President in Memorial Service
By Cindy Wojdyla Cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com August 15, 2011 7:34PM
Friends, family and coworkers of JJC President Gena Proulx take part in a memorial service for her Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, at the Joliet Junior College main campus in Joliet, Ill. Proulx died Friday. |
Cindy Wojdyla Cain~Sun-Times Media
ARTICLE EXTRAS
Updated: August 16, 2011 2:19AM
JOLIET — The Joliet Junior College community said goodbye to its leader Monday.
Members of the JJC family attended a memorial service to honor President Gena Proulx, 66, of Shorewood, who died Friday morning after a three-year battle with fallopian tube cancer.
Proulx’s mother, husband and two daughters joined the group gathered in front of the new $42 million campus center, which opened in July, to laud the accomplishments of the college’s first female president.
At the conclusion of the service, butterflies were released into a cloudless blue sky and the school’s alumni bell tower chimed five times for Proulx’s five years of service as president.
“There is no question she left an indelible mark on Joliet Junior College and the surrounding community,” board Chairwoman Barbara DeLaney said of Proulx.
Proulx spearheaded the school’s seven-building, $189 million master plan, “which has involved the largest physical changes to the main campus location in its 40-year existence,” DeLaney said.
Bob Marcink, JJC faculty union president and English teacher, praised Proulx for putting together a team to push for the master plan.
“At a time when other institutions were pulling back, when other institutions were retrenching, we were moving forward,” Marcink said.
While at at JJC, Proulx served on boards for Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center and the Will County Center for Economic Development, and she was a member of the Workforce Investment Board and Joliet Rotary.
Christine Sobek, president of Waubonsee Community College in Aurora, said Proulx was a valued and respected member of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents. Sobek spoke of Proulx’s amazing work ethic, especially in the face of her cancer diagnosis.
“I was in awe of her courage, her persistence and faith that she would get better,” Sobek said.
Michael Vinciguerra, president of the University of St. Francis in Joliet, considered Proulx a friend.
“She showed, always, her love of students and cared for each as individuals seeing them as God’s creation, people of and with value,” he said.
While Proulx’s career accomplishments were large, some of her smaller gestures also will be long remembered.
“When I lost my father very suddenly two years ago, Dr. Proulx was very supportive and I will not forget her kindness,” Marcink said.
Jennifer O’Riordan, an adjunct psychology professor at JJC, is an ovarian cancer survivor. She said she bonded with Proulx as the two women fought for their survival. When O’Riordan had a medical setback in May, “(Proulx) called me to offer me comfort,” she said.
Shelia McEwen, a registration secretary at JJC’s downtown campus, said Proulx made it a point to visit the site and act as a bridge to the main campus.
“I saw her at least 20 times,” McEwen said. “She always came to each floor, and she always came with a smile and a greeting. She has just been a blessing to us.”
Wannetta Davis, a part-time counseling clerk, said Proulx made everyone on campus feel equal. Proulx’s philosophy was, “Lift them up, bring them up and bring them together,” she said. “She was such a beautiful woman, inside and out.”
In addition to her husband, William, and three daughters, Proulx is survived by her mother, Irene Roinick of Crest Hill; six grandchildren; and a brother. A memorial visitation for Proulx will be held from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road, Joliet.
Donations in Proulx’s honor can be made to the American Cancer Society, Joliet Area Community Hospice or the JJC Foundation’s Dr. Gena Proulx Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund.