Darthea Marion Hess Tunnicliffe

Loved by her students and respected by her colleagues, Darthea Tunnicliffe taught English Literature on three continents, sharing her love for literature, theater, and the beauty found in nature. She always found something amusing, in even the worst of moments, with her students, friends, and family. She was well known for acting out scenes from Shakespeare while teaching class, and for bringing literature to life for her students. Her students showed their appreciation in many ways from arriving at her door with a bouquet of flowers to just stopping by for tea and conversation.

Darthea attended the First Congregational Church in downtown Portland, Oregon where her father was active in his ministry. Later she attended the Episcopal Church, where she enjoyed the ceremony and hymns. She had a deep respect for one's right to follow their own spiritual path and welcomed discussion regarding beliefs and points of view.

Darthea Marion Hess was born June 16, 1917 in Kobe, Japan where her parents, James and Mildred Hess, were teaching under the auspices of the American Board of Foreign Missions. When Darthea was about 2 1/2 years old, the family moved to Madura (now Mathura), India when Dr. Hess joined the faculty of the American College as head of the English Department.

Darthea enjoyed private school education in India, Switzerland and England. She completed high school at Taunton School (Weirfield Girls School) in Somerset, England. She graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island where she later received her M.A., specializing in 17th century English Literature. She did postgraduate work at the University of London during WWII and was evacuated to Oxford. The WWII era photograph was taken in India while Darthea served with the American Red Cross.

She took a job teaching English at Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, an up-scale girls' school. Later, in 1947, she joined her parents in India, where she taught English literature at the Lady Doak College for girls. On the ship to India she met her future husband, Michael Tunnicliffe, who was working with a subsidiary of the British-American Tobacco Co. They married in August 1949 and in 1950 their daughter, Marilyn, was born. The family moved to the USA in 1951 and the following year their son, James, was born.

In 1955 Darthea joined the English faculty of Elon University in North Carolina, when Michael was working with the Carolina Biological Supply Company. They moved to Oregon in 1960 when Michael was transferred to the town of Milwaukie, Oregon. In the mid-1960s, Darthea joined the faculty of the newly formed Clackamas Community College and was one of the first faculty members in the English Department. After a move to Southern California in 1976 they returned to Oregon in the mid-80s. Darthea volunteered in the library of Clackamas Community College until she and Michael moved to Medford in 1992. Darthea passed away February 16, 2005, in Medford, Oregon.

Honoring Acknowledgement: Darthea Marion Hess Tunnicliffe is honored by her daughter