Flagler loses former education chair, Anne Shreve

By Rachel Kuhl| gargoyle@flagler.edu

On Jan. 18, Anne Shreve, Ph.D., former chair of the Education Department, died at the age of 81 in her home on St. Augustine Beach.

Shreve was the mother of three boys, a grandmother of two girls and a great-grandmother of three boys. She had recently turned 81 in December and had spent many years working for the college. She was head of Flagler’s education department for 18 years and stepped down from the position in 1993. She later retired in 1996.

Shreve was born and raised in East Lansing, Mich., and did most of her schooling there. According to her obituary, she received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, and then a master’s degree in speech and hearing pathology from Western Reserve University. She later earned her doctorate from Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale. Before coming to Flagler, she worked as a speech pathologist for the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.

According to friends and colleagues, when Shreve came to Flagler, her presence was noticed immediately.

Michelle Gregoire, current Education Department Chair, and Education Professor Margaret Finnegan said they could describe Shreve’s personality as extremely positive.

“She made the departments more blended and closer,” Gregoire said. “She was the heart of the education department.”

Finnegan also remembers Shreve as being a “hands-on” girl, to the point, and one who loved Flagler baseball.

According to both Gregoire and Finnegan, Shreve also loved traveling, playing bridge and her cat. Shreve always found an interest in going places, whether it was for business or pleasure. She traveled to Europe annually and took special interest in Italy. According to Gregoire, she once brought back a piece of the Berlin Wall to share with her co-workers.

She has been described as a person with a “magnetic personality,” and someone who was always helpful. Shreve organized many of the department’s events, including faculty and student camping trips, a pig roast and a holiday caroling.

According to Gregoire, one of the most telling things about Shreve was her nickname, “Queen Anne.” Gregoire and Finnegan said the title suited her well, and they both agreed that she was “very regal” and always knew exactly what she wanted.