Editor-in-Chief Barbara Gandica Martinez
“She always kinda looked at us as her children. That’s what she would say ‘you all are like my kids’,” said Corey Davis, Dallas College welcome assistant. “She helped to the core. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would be working in the Office of Student Life.”
Juanita Rogers-Keim, known on campus as Louise, died at the age of 59 on February 9 in a house fire in Kilgore, Texas. At press time, plans for a memorial service were being finalized and there will be a card at the front desk of the Office of Student Life for those who wish to sign it.
Rogers-Keim, who retired from Dallas College last year, lived in Kilgore with her sister, Teresa White, who also died in the fire. An investigation into the cause of the fire is being led by the Gregg County Fire Marshal office. Marshal Mark Moore confirmed Rogers-Keim’s identity and said that “the preliminary indication is that the fire was accidental in nature.
Rogers-Keim worked for Richland for more than 20 years in different departments throughout campus. “She was here before Sabine Hall,” said Kelly Sonnanstine, Student Life Coordinator. Louise started working on the bookstore when it was still in El Paso Hall. Later, she also worked part-time in the Business Office payment window as a cashier.
In September 2009, she began working as front desk administrator assistant in the Office of Student Life where she worked until last year. While working at Richland, she was also a student. “She was like the embodiment of a hug; she was always there for people and she remembered things like crazy,” said Sonnanstine.
“The first thing I think of her is her saying ‘I am so proud of you’,” said Davis. He and Rogers-Keim worked together at the Office of Student Life. Davis remembered her sitting next to him while they worked. “[We would be] listening to her music while we worked. It would put her in a good mood, kinda giggling a little bit while we worked,” said Davis.
“I would say that was one of the best moments,” Davis said. Davis said that like a mother, she would let you know whether you made a mistake but “always, always, very caring, she had a very good heart,” Davis said.
Davis, from St. Louis, Missouri, said he faced a lot of racism early in life, so he was surprised by the support he got from her.
“Especially me being an African-American and her being more of a white woman and thorough history, through life, we always had that juggle between race issues,” said Davis. “She was one of the first people to see in me that I could overcome things that other people see.”
“I remember her being like a mother figure to me” said Amina Jeylani, who works as an Information Desk representative at Richalnd Campus. Jeylani worked with Louise as a work-study student at the Office of Student Life.
“I would go to the office whether I was having problems and tell her everything that was going on in my life that I couldn’t tell my actual mom,” said Jeylani,
“I always thought it was really funny because I thought that a lot of the advice because of the big cultural differences, I would always listen to her but always think ‘I can do any of this’ and it was so nice from the six years, that when I look back to the beginning to the end, she would actually learn things and remember,” said Jeyleni.
Despite being retired, Louise made sure to wish her a happy birthday last week. “She is definitely someone that should be remembered. If I could, I would name a building after her. I think she definitely deserves it,” said Jeyleni.
