Rose Colleen Durrington

Dr. Colleen Durrington, trustee and former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Abilene Christian University, died Monday, April 9, 2012, at her home. She was 75. Funeral services will be Saturday, April 14, 2012, at 1 p.m. at Southern Hills Church of Christ with Dr. Royce Money and Phil Ware presiding under the direction of Piersall Benton Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut St. A visitation will be held Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be 1 p.m. Monday, April 16, at Baptist Ford Cemetery in Greenland, Ark. Dr. Durrington's service as an educator and academic leader included elementary school classrooms, the principal's office, the AISD boardroom, university faculty and administrative roles, and statewide appointments. Friends and colleagues have known Colleen in these leadership roles for so long that many have forgotten she came to such tasks later in life than most, having married at 18 and raised a family before she ever completed her bachelor's degree. Once she returned to school, she became a teacher, principal, professor, chair and dean in rapid succession. Born Rose Colleen Stockburger on March 23, 1937, in West Fork, Ark., near Fayetteville, she was the oldest of three daughters of Loy and Mildred Stockburger. She graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1954 and married Eugene Henderson in 1954. They were married 31 years and had two children, Eugene Jr., and Teresa. She earned her B.S.Ed. degree from McMurry University in 1972, and M.Ed. degrees from ACU in 1977 and 1981. She graduated from Texas Tech University in 1984 with an Ed.D. degree. Colleen married Victor Durrington Nov. 26, 1986, adding his children and grandchildren to her family. They were married 22 years until his death in March 2009. Together they were active members of Southern Hills Church of Christ where she coached Bible Bowl for 14 years, supervised the Junior Department for 10 years and served as chair of the building committee from 1997-99. Although her career as an educator began in Hawley where she taught fourth grade from 1972-74, she had long been a Bible class teacher, Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout den mother and PTA president in Texas and Oklahoma schools. From 1974-85 she served in the Abilene Independent School District, teaching at Dyess and Reagan Elementary Schools, then was principal of Valley View and Bonham Elementary Schools in Abilene before joining the ACU faculty in fall 1985 as an assistant professor of education and director of reading programs. In 22 years at ACU, she served as coordinator of elementary and secondary certification programs, dean of the College of Professional Studies, director of University Seminar, chair of the Department of Education and the Division of Education, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In that role she directed the university's largest college, an entity that in itself was larger than most private colleges and universities in Texas. She retired in 2007 as professor emeriti of education. She was elected to ACU's Board of Trustees in 2009 and served on the Presidential Search Committee and Academic Affairs Committee. Even as her administrative responsibilities at ACU increased she remained involved in public education, serving as a trustee of the Abilene Independent School District from 1990-96, and as a trustee of the Texas Association of School Boards from 1991-96. She served on several statewide education commissions, including the Texas Commission on Standards for the Teaching Profession, the Advisory Committee for Long Range Planning for Technology in Schools and the Texas Board of Educators. She served on a state panel to select full-time Texas teachers to receive Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Awards, in honor of the New Hampshire schoolteacher who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. She made presentations at reading conferences across the nation and authored numerous professional papers as well as a book, "Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Women in Public School Administration," an outgrowth of her dissertation research. Her wise mentorship of women in education in public schools and particularly in academic leadership roles at ACU was treasured by those she influenced. At the time of her death, she was serving on the board of directors for the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum, the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County, Christian Service Center and as a trustee of African Christian College in Swaziland. She was preceded in death by her mother, by her husband, Victor, and his daughter Vicki. She is survived by her father, Loy Stockburger of Spearfish, S.D.; two sisters, Pat Simpson and her husband David, also of Spearfish, S.D., and Debby Lynn and her husband Dennis of Portland, Ore; by her son Dr. Eugene B. Henderson, Jr., of Allen and his wife Candy, her daughter Teresa Brittain of Kerrville and her husband Kerry; by her Durrington sons Vearl and his wife Schae of Aledo, Vance and his wife Jeanne Swafford of Wilmington, N.C., and Val and his wife Kendra of Abilene. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren: Jason Henderson and his wife Abby, Jenna King and husband Seth; Rebekah Soliz and husband Ryan, and Alyson Cain; Isaac and Benjamin Durrington; Christina and Natalie Durrington; Carissa Casey and husband Chris, Harrison Dell and wife Kelly, and Mallory Dell; Connor, Michal Kate, Addison and Claire Durrington. Memorial gifts may be made to the Victor and Colleen Durrington Endowed Scholarship at ACU.