Judee K. Burgoon BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION | |
I entered this world ahead of schedule on a chilly February morning (the 5th to be exact) in 1948. The scene was Ames, Iowa, home of my parents’ alma mater, and eventually my own--Iowa State University. Although my father--J. Kenneth Stringer, Jr.--had hopes of naming me after himself, my mother--Mary Elene (known as Polly because of her maiden name of Parrott)--knowing the slings befalling a child with a peculiar name and believing that Josepha Kennetha would not be a propitious moniker for a girl--held sway, and thus I was christened Judee Kathelene. To support his new family, my enterprising father started several businesses, including a taxi service, but was quickly lured to a job in his uncle’s car dealership in the big city of Davenport, Iowa--my "real" hometown. I soon to had to relinquish the pleasures of only-child status to make room for two more sisters--Della and Marilyn--and two more brothers--Ken (III) and Warren. I attended Grant Elementary school, J. B. Young Jr. High, where I was inspired by my speech and voice choir teach to become active in speech, drama, and debate, Central High, where I divided my time among such extracurricular activities as the debate team, the golf team, the drama club, and organizing both the Young Republicans and the Young Democrats. My holidays and summers were largely devoted to working to earn money for college. Affordability, scholarships, and my parents’ own affection for it drew me to Iowa State University for my bachelor’s degree. I graduated summa cum laude in 1970. Unable to commit to just one field, I ended up with a double major in speech and English and a double minor in social studies and education. I put this to good use immediately as I began teaching speech and English and directing debate and drama at Boone High School. A year later, I entered Illinois State University, where I collected my M.S. in speech communication in 1972, and two years later finished by doctorate in the joint fields of communication and educational psychology at West Virginia University. During this time, one marriage ended and another began. The second one took better than the first, as I have remained married to Michael Burgoon since 1974. Following three years as assistant professor and Director of Forensics at the University of Florida, I took a position as Vice-President for Communication Research for a division of Louis Harris and Associates in New York City. During that time, my longstanding association with Gannett and (eventually) USA Today began. Our year in New York was followed by a return to Michigan State University (I say return, because we had held an appointment as visiting professors there previously and Michael had earned his PhD there), where we remained for seven years. Our arrival at the University of Arizona in 1984 coincided with the arrival of daughter Erin Mikaela. We three (plus our cocker spaniel) continue to live and thrive in the Sonoran Desert. |