Former Del Mar College speech professor Jacqueline Ganschow died Feb. 10. She was 66 years old.
Ganschow, who retired in 2014, worked at Del Mar for 43 years and served as the chair of the Communications Department for 10 years. She won numerous awards and recognitions during her time as an educator including Del Mar’s Aileen Creighton Award for Teaching Excellence, the Texas Speech Communication Association’s Community College Educator of the Year, and the coveted Piper Professor award.
Ganschow, born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1952 to a military family, had a passion for teaching and was loved and respected by her students and colleagues. She created the first speech lab on campus and was a mentor to many of those who now work in the speech department.
“Jackie loved to teach and her teaching did not end in her classroom,” professor of speech Sarah Contreras said. “Many of the policies we still adhere to came from her tenure as our ‘fearless leader.’”
Ganschow graduated from Del Mar College in 1972 and received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southwest Texas State University, which she graduated from in 1975. In 1994, Ganschow co-authored a public speaking textbook that is still used by Del Mar College speech students today.
“Jackie and I worked together to create our speech lab through its many renditions,” Contreras said. “She was so much more than a co-worker to me, she was my best friend.”
She is survived by her husband, Gary, of over 40 years, her two sons, Casey and Kelly, and three beloved grandchildren, Brian, Noah, and Stephanie.
A memorial service has not been scheduled at this time.
