James Joseph HiDuke, 60, of Cedar Falls, died at home Monday, November 17, 2003, of a coronary. He was born June 9, 1943, in Hammond, Indiana, son of Andrew and Carolyn Cvitkobich HiDuke. He married Carlene D. Quackenbush on May 19, 2001, in Nashua.
Mr. HiDuke had been an English professor at the University of Northern Iowa since 1967 and was informally known as Dr. Grammar. He received his bachelor's degree from St. Joseph College, Calumett campus, and his master's degree from Marquette University.
Survivors include: his wife; a stepson, Michael Quackenbush of San Diego; his parents of Sun City Arizona; three brothers, Drew of Frisco, Texas, Terry of Fort Meyers, Florida, and David of Ogden Dunes, Indiana; and a sister, Gail HiDuke of San Clemente, California.
Memorial services: 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church. There will be no visitation; his body was cremated. Richardson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials: may be directed to American Cancer Society.
Copyright Waterloo Courier, November 19, 2003, page B2.
UNI professor dies of heart attack at home
Professor was creator of the Dr. Grammar Web site.
By TERRY HUDSON
Courier Staff Writer
Well-known University of Northern Iowa Professor James HiDuke died of a heart attack Monday, November 17, 2003, at his home. HiDuke had been an English professor at UNI since 1967.
Around campus, HiDuke, 60, was known as "Dr. Grammar," a nickname that grew into an informal title. He was known by students and faculty alike as a source of answers to tough questions about grammar. Eventually, that informal title led to the creation of the Dr. Grammar Web site at drgrammar.org, as a way for HiDuke to share his passion for the written word and to answer questions. Anyone with questions about grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling, and general language concerns was welcome to ask HiDuke questions through his Web site.
The Dr. Grammar service began in February 2000. Ken Baughman has worked in the English Department with HiDuke for more than thirty years.
"He certainly was a challenging teacher and a strong advocate for students using writing to develop critical thinking skills," Baughman said. "It's a large loss for us. Everyone in the department had a lot of affection for Jim. He was always good-natured and good-humored. We'll really miss him a lot." Baughman informed students who showed up for HiDuke's classes on Tuesday.
"In his writing classes he worked closely with students on a one-on-one basis with individual projects, so the sorrow they are feeling is very apparent," he said. "He always invested a great deal of time with them."
An avid golfer, HiDuke played tournament golf every weekend from April to October. He once caddied for world champion boxer Joe Louis, Olympic runner Jesse Owens, and--he said on his Web site--"a few mobsters from Chicago."
"If it was something he loved, he could approach it with immense energy and a lot of fortitude and determination," Baughman said. "He had that in his teaching as well as his golf."
HiDuke received his bachelor of arts degree from St. Joseph College and his master's degree from Marquette University. He did his doctorate work at Notre Dame, in Renaissance Literature, and at Carnegie Mellon University, in Rhetoric. He has published about twenty poems. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church.
Copyright Waterloo Courier, November 19, 2003, page B3.