Dudley Shearburn, a long-time faculty member at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, died on June 12 at her home in St. Louis, Missouri. She was 91 years old.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Shearburn was a graduate of Birmingham Southern College. After 16 years of marriage and the birth of seven children, she got divorced and raised her children as a single mother while returning to graduate school at St. Louis University, where she earned master’s and doctoral degrees.
Dr. Shearburn joined the faculty at Salem College and Academy in 1977 to direct the Orton Center, an endowed center in the department of education that focused on special education. When the center closed, Dr. Shearburn remained on the faculty and taught women’s studies. She also played a major role in founding the adult education programs at the college.
Dr. Shearburn was the author of Get a Good Life (Wildwood Press, 1999). She retired from Salem College in 1998 but remained in Winston-Salem until 2014 when she returned to St. Louis.