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Chico State

Fond Farewell: Retired English Professor Elizabeth Singh

Stars shine above Trinity Hall.
Jason Halley / University Photographer

The stars shine above Trinity Hall on Thursday, December 14, 2017 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer/CSU Chico)

Retired professor Elizabeth Singh, who taught in the English department for 14 years, passed away April 1, 2019. She was 72.

Born September 3, 1946, in Brockton, Massachusetts, she earned a BA in social work from Rockford College in Illinois in 1968, a teaching credential from Chico State in 1973, and her master’s degree in English with distinction from Chico State in 1990.

It was Singh’s lifelong dream to teach and write, and after she was hired here in 1989, she found great joy in leading English as a Second Language (ESL), Asian American literature, and writing classes, as well as time cultivating her own writing and that of others on campus through the Watershed Review literary publication. Before she retired in 2002, she formed close connections with her students and colleagues.

“She was a sweet, soft-spoken woman who cared deeply about the students and was extremely conscientious about her responsibilities as a teacher and colleague,” said Professor Emerita Carol Burr.

Portrait of Elizabeth Singh in a wooded area.
Photo courtesy of the Singh family

Singh interacted a great deal with Professor Emeritus Frank Li when he was coordinating the English department’s linguistics and ESL programs, which she taught in for many years. He said she was very popular with the international students who took her classes.

“She had a knack to connect with her students and was passionate about delivering first-rate services to them,” Li said. “We lost a wonderful colleague and a very compassionate person in Elizabeth.” 

Lynn Elliott, professor emeritus and former chair of the English department, said Singh’s wonderful kindness and thoughtful demeanor were ever-present in both her personal and professional interactions.

“She was universally well-respected by all of her students and fellow teachers. Her gentle manner and caring was conveyed to her students, all of whom praised her for helping them with their English skills,” he said. “It was truly a delight to know Elizabeth and her husband.”

Professor Emeritus Thia Wolf spent time with Singh both as colleagues and in a shared writing group, where Singh was engaged in thinking and writing about navigating cultural differences, a subject driven by her own intercultural marriage, which was both a source of delight and interest for her.

“Elizabeth paid me a great kindness years after we had worked together when she approached me in a restaurant (we hadn’t seen each other in years) to tell me that our time working together had been very meaningful for her,” she said. “I felt the same.”

In her spare time, Singh read countless books about India, which she loved very much and where she traveled extensively with her husband and three sons. She tried to capture the country’s spirit often in her writing. She also learned to cook native cuisine and is remembered for her delicious Indian chai. She loved her monthly book clubs, Diwali celebrations with Indian friends, and gatherings of Hooker Oak Elementary School mothers group.

She adored all animals, especially her dogs and cats, and spent hours watching hummingbirds whiz around her feeders. She never tired of the beautiful view from the windows of her house overlooking Bidwell Park and Chico.

She is survived by her husband and retired Chico State professor Lal Singh; her sons Rana, Ajay, and Raj; her sister Nancy Ryan, and numerous extended family members.

Services will be held Saturday, June 1 at 10 a.m. in Cedar Grove Picnic Area in Bidwell Park.

The University flag will be lowered Tuesday, May 28, in her honor.