Wheelock’s Evelyn Ford-Connors: “Truly a Remarkable Colleague”
Wheelock’s Evelyn Ford-Connors: “Truly a Remarkable Colleague”
Remembered for her tireless commitment to her work, students, and colleagues
Evelyn Ford-Connors was a longtime faculty member of Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and was part of the Literacy Education program for many years, having served as its director. She also directed the Donald D. Durrell Reading and Writing Clinic (now the Literacy Collaborative) at BU.
Ford-Connors (Wheelock’12), a Wheelock senior lecturer, died on January 27, 2025. She was 72.
Her research focused on classroom discourse and literacy instruction. She is remembered for her tireless commitment to her work, her students, and her colleagues, and was known for ensuring that her students were developing the skills they needed for teaching and that the K–12 students they worked with were developing their literacy practices.
“Evelyn was truly a remarkable colleague,” says Jeanne Paratore, a Wheelock professor emerita of literacy education. “The depth of her caring for others was seemingly endless.”
A graduate of Albion College, Ford-Connors earned a doctorate in literacy education at BU, graduating from the program at age 59. She published many articles and book chapters and coauthored Engaging Readers: Supporting All Students in Knowledge-Driven Reading, Grades 4–8 (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2017).