Longtime ASA member Catherine (Kay) G. Valentine, who died last year, bequeathed over $1,400,000 to the association’s Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). Prior to her retirement, Valentine was Professor Emerita of Sociology and Founding Director of Women’s Studies at Nazareth College, in Rochester, NY. ASA’s MFP has supported more than 500 students of color in pursuit of a doctoral degree in sociology since its inception in 1974. For nearly 50 years, the program has worked to ensure that a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles and conduct research that is relevant in today’s global society. Kay’s gift to the MFP will help ensure the program is available to future generations of sociologists.
“Kay Valentine’s generosity is unprecedented in the history of ASA’s Minority Fellowship Program,” says Nancy Kidd, ASA’s executive director. “We are extremely grateful for Kay’s support. This gift reflects Kay’s lifelong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; mentorship of students; and our discipline of sociology. And it contributes in a deeply meaningful way to the upcoming celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Minority Fellowship Program, both in bringing the program closer to long-term financial sustainability and in highlighting its important impact on sociology as a discipline.”
A Passion for Sociology and Equity
A Passion for Sociology and EquityA close friend and colleague, who chose to remain anonymous, says, “Kay breathed, lived, practiced, employed, studied, and read about feminism. She was a true feminist sociologist, scholar, mentor, and friend. She taught, read, studied, agitated for and around gender, women, equality, and intersectionality.”
Mary Nell Trautner, associate professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY and one of Kay’s co-editors of the sixth edition of The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns and Possibilities, says “Kay was very passionate about sociology in general, especially gender scholarship, as well as feminist movements and gender equality in the wider world. She also was passionate about teaching and enriching the lives of young people through compassionate education.”
Kay’s obituary that appeared in Democrat and Chronicle, a newspaper serving the Rochester area in New York, points to the importance of travel in her life, both on her own and with her life partner, Paul J. Burgett, who died in 2018. “Her solo travel brought her great satisfaction and became a source of deeper self-knowledge and understanding of the human condition.” Donna King, professor of sociology and criminology at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and Kay’s co-editor on Letting Go: Feminist and Social Insight and Activism, says “[Kay traveled to the far reaches of the world … and she could always be counted on for great suggestions of where to visit … She was a wealth of information.”
A Sage Guide
A Sage GuideKay’s friend, who chose to remain anonymous, recalls an incident where one of the wheels of her suitcase broke when she was attending an ASA Annual Meeting. “Crucially, Valentine calmly and efficiently helped me narrow down my needs, focus on the goal, and alleviate my usual decision paralysis. This sage guidance—whether about a rolling suitcase or about career and scholarship decisions—characterizes Valentine perfectly,” the friend says. “She was a connector and sought to make, stoke, and keep friendships. She was supportive of women. She was a fierce advocate. She was a resilient fighter. She was a beautiful person.”
Heather Washington, ASA’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, says “Kay was a champion for social justice. Her generous gift will enrich the lives of students from underrepresented race and ethnic backgrounds for generations. As we look ahead to the 50th anniversary of the MFP and celebrate the program’s rich history and important contributions to sociology, Kay’s generosity reminds us of the powerful impact we all can have on our students and the discipline through our financial support, mentorship, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her gift brings us ever closer to sustaining a program, that for decades, has played a critical role in diversifying the professorate and the scientific workforce.”
By Preeti Vasishtha, Director of Communications, American Sociological Association
