[Since she is no longer on the listserv, Carolyn Rude has asked me to send along this notice of the death of one of ATTW’s founders, Don Cunningham. The full obituary is attached. I’ll just add my personal remembrance that Don was an energetic and always cheerful force in the earliest days of ATTW and was kind and welcoming to me as a curious newbie. —Carolyn Miller]
Don Cunningham, one of the founders of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing in 1973 and the first editor of its journal, then titled The Technical Writing Teacher, has died. His obituary is attached.
With other leaders, he helped to establish the foundations of the academic field of technical communication as well as its practice by creating a professional organization, a journal, materials for teaching, and forums for discussing research and curriculum. He was the author of multiple textbooks. The best known was How to Write for the World of Work (with Thomas H. Pearsall, later with Elizabeth O. Smith)published in 7 editions beginning in 1978.
Over about four decades, Don directed programs in writing and communication at Morehead State University, Texas Tech University, and Auburn. He served in national leadership positions, including as president of ATTW and chair of the NCTE Committee on Technical and Scientific Communication. He was regarded as a generous mentor to junior faculty as well as a visionary leader. He is a fellow of both the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing and the Society for Technical Communication.
Don is survived by his son, Mark Cunningham. If you would like to share memories with Mark, you could reach him at mcunningham888.