In Memoriam: Betty Rasberry McCommas, 1931-2023

Betty Rasberry McCommas passed from this life on October 6, 2023, at Twin Rivers Health and Rehabilitation in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. She was 92 years old.

A native of Paragould, Arkansas, she graduated from Paragould High School and attended Baylor University where she received a bachelor’s degree in religion and English in 1953, and a master’s degree in philosophy in 1954.

Hired by Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in 1954 as assistant to the president and instructor in philosophy, McCommas later became a full professor in the department of English where she held the Betty Burton Peck Endowed Chair. She taught at Ouachita Baptist University her entire career, retiring in 1998 after 44 years of service.

During her long career, she did further study at the University of Arkansas, Texas Tech University, the University of Oregon, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and Oxford University in England.