Kathryn Jeanine Congalton

K. Jeanine Congalton, formerly of Coal City, IL, currently of Fullerton, CA, passed away unexpectedly earlier this month, she would have turned seventy later this month. Raised in Coal City, IL where she was an honor student, she completed her undergraduate degree at Illinois State and still counts her Redbird friends in her closest circle. Jeanine earned her M.A. at North Dakota State where she briefly taught early in her career before completing her Ph.D. at the University of Utah, where she created her strongest personal and academic relationships. After three years at California State University-Fresno, Jeanine spent the bulk of her career at California State University, Fullerton, where she became an institution, for many years coaching their successful forensics program. Her forensics service was vast, having served as District | Chair of the American Forensics Association's National Individual Events Tournament, where she was a fixture on the tournament tabulation staff and was bestowed with their Distinguished Service Award in 1997. She was a favorite judge on the National Debate Tournament circuit and coached numerous students to national tournaments. She was an officer in the International Forensics Association for a decade and worked in tabulation rooms at hundreds of forensics contests at all levels.

Jeanine was the unsung hero of the Human Communication Studies department at California State University, Fullerton, serving perpetually on personnel, graduate, and search committees copiously combing through hundreds of files, and meticulously reviewing adjunct and graduate student instructors. Despite all her dedicated service, her clear legacy is her students. She was a devoted teacher, paying special attention to those students with extra challenges, creating in them a sense of self-confidence and success. During the pandemic she would drive to her campus parking lot to connect to university wi-fi, teaching classes from her car. She followed the careers of generations of her students, even if that meant showing up at an 8:00 AM convention panel or drafting volumes of thoughtful letters of recommendation. Many, if not nearly all, institutions in southern California likely have at least one instructor who was trained and mentored by Jeanine. Scores of her students comment that she's the role model for how they conduct their lives, both professionally and personally. Her idea of work/life balance was taking a stack of papers to grade on the grounds of her beloved Disneyland, where she valued and regularly used her annual pass. Jeanine was a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks, and a season ticket holder to CSUF Titan baseball, where her second home was Goodwin Field.

She was a dedicated aunt, attending countless soccer, lacrosse, and baseball games of her nieces and nephews. The U.S. Postal Service has been kept solvent by her mailing greeting cards for every known occasion, always including a dollar bill, to her sphere of friends, mere acquaintances, their families and extended networks. Nearly everyone she met made it into her address book. Jeanine was generous to a fault, always being the first to "treat" whoever she was visiting.

Jeanine was preceded in death by her parents, Pete and Catherine (Kay) DiPaolo of Coal City and brother David, of Corona, CA. She is survived by her sister Donna (Roger) Hanley of Tampa, sister-in-law Kris DiPaolo, ten nieces and nephews, numerous great nieces and nephews and a wide circle of friends who remain in shock at her unanticipated passing. A celebration of life will be hosted on Saturday, September 19th at 3:00 in room CBE/SGMH 1502 at California State University, Fullerton, where she leaves many saddened colleagues and associates. Memorials can be made to the CSU, Fullerton Jeanine Congalton Scholarship already established in her honor.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the scholarship fund established in Jeanine's name:

Giving link: https://give.fullerton.edu/congaltonmemorial

Please RSVP so we can plan: RSVP link

Here is the link to live stream the memorial https://fullerton.zoom.us/j/7928475187