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ROLAND HUFF February 6, 1942 - October 2, 2012 Roland Kenneth Huff of San Antonio, Texas, formerly of Winnipeg, died at home at age 70 on October 2, 2012. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Jude McMurry, daughter Dante Elizabeth Huff of Calgary, Alberta, parents Roland Sr. and Kathryn "Kitty" (Gordon) Huff of Rutland, Vermont, sister Linda Kay Jones of Ira, Vermont, niece Krista, and nephew Lance and family. He was born in Enid, Oklahoma, and grew up as a minister's son in a series of towns in the midwestern U.S. During his teenage years, the family lived in Manchester, England, where he attended Stockport Grammar School. He graduated from Howe High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a state-ranked athlete in track and field in 1960. He earned a Ph.D. in English from Indiana University, an M.Ed. in counseling psychology from Texas Tech University, and a B.A. in intellectual history from Hiram College. For most of his career, he was an associate professor of English at the University of Winnipeg, where he specialized in 20th Century American literature and science fiction, the British novel, and the teaching of writing. Prior to that, he was director of the graduate and undergraduate programs in rhetoric and composition at Eastern Washington University. He also served on the English faculty of Washington State University and the University of Texas at Austin. Despite chronic health problems, Roland was an accomplished and widely published poet and moderator who regularly participated in writing workshops in the San Antonio area. In recent years, he also had developed and launched his own unique therapeutic counseling practice that he called deep release therapy, in which he combined elements of talk therapy, hypnotherapy, deep release acupressure, and massage therapy to treat individuals who had emotional trauma. His philosophy of life was summarized in his poem "What My Grandfather Said": "A little rain on the roof, enough money to pay the bills, a measure of work to dignify the spirit, a good woman, and children. That's all there is. That's all there ever was." At his request, cremation has taken place, and there were no commemorative services. Memorial donations may be sent to SmileTrain (www.smiletrain.org) or the charity of one's choice.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 25, 2012
Condolences & Memories (4 entries)
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I took an American Literature course with, Prof. Huff back in the 90s. I noticed how he loved teaching. He was very pleasant with everyone. I still remember him saying, "Gayle, you will never be perfect." I was taken aback by his words, but smile at what he said back then. It was sad to hear him open up to the class and say that he had to take a break from teaching. It was due to a health issue. He never complained. He accepted whatever it was with courage and class. Prof. Huff, may you rest in heavenly peace. It was nice meeting you and see you again. - Posted by: Gayle McKenzie (Student) on: Jul 24, 2022
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I took an Advanced Composition course with Roland in 1987-88, and then joined a pilot project he designed at the University of Winnipeg, the first internship in the Writing Program that he designed. I also worked for him as a research assistant and he let me into his home and family. I knew he was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since the late eighties/early nineties, which definitely frustrated his productivity. The last time I briefly saw him at his home, he was in a wheelchair. The man taught me how to write again. Just this morning, I was thinking of him, and googled his name, to discover this obituary. My sincere condolences, Jude and Dante. - Posted by: Robert Weiss (former student, UofWpg) on: Dec 27, 2017
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Having just heard of Roland's sad passing, I would like to write a few words on his time as a student in the UK. I spent some time as a classmate of Roland's. As a teenager at school he was well liked and a prominent student in the classroom. He will be remembered by his former classmates as a good friend and companion. May he rest in peace. - Posted by: Brian Spooner (Former Classmate) on: Feb 07, 2014
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I was a student of Dr. Huff's while he taught at WSU in the early 80's. I had been thinking about him for sometime, especially because of his unique and positive influence in my own education and career in English. Goodbye Dr. Huff. You were something else . . . - Posted by: Douglas Evans (undergraduate student) on: Nov 25, 2013