Services for Dr. Janet M. Sharistanian, 75, Lawrence, will be announced later by Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. Dr. Sharistanian died Wed., Feb. 6, 2019, at Monterey Village. rumsey-yost.com
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Janet Sharistanian was my favorite professor at KU. I'll never forget receiving her feedback on a paper. I was nervous to get my score because her class was incredibly interesting, but also challenging. I wanted to impress her. As soon as I got it back, and saw my B+, I shoved it in my bag, embarrassed and nervous still. I remember she stopped me. "Don't shove that away. Take the time to read my comments." And she was 100% right. Don't lean away from criticism from your best teachers. Learn from it. That stuck with me for years and pushed me to always take the time to examine how I can do better, especially when someone I respect has advice to offer. She also left me with a love for Willa Cather and Edith Wharton. What an amazing woman! Thank you, Dr. Sharistanian. I still think of you regularly.
Marissa
January 24, 2023
I met Janet at Simmons when, a year ahead of me, she already showed her energy, focus, and cosmopolitan elegance. She was an enduring inspiration. She introduced me to espresso! She walked at the speed of light. Perhaps the last time I saw her was when she came to DC for a conference. She was dressed in a vintage red and black dress--because she had just delivered a paper on Le Rouge et le Noir.
Louise Cort
Friend
May 2, 2019
I will always remember Janet with a great deal of affection. Though I never had a class with her, I was mutual friends with M.J. McClendon, Betty Campbell, Rob Melton, and Beth Shultz, with whom we enjoyed some great times.
I also very much loved taking care of her Afghan hound,about whom she warned, "don't let him get loose; you'll never catch him."
Daniel Murtaugh
March 1, 2019
Janet, Pioneering woman, you lighted the way for
many of us in Women's Studies. Thank you. Good night; sleep well.
Folabo Ajayi-Soyinka
February 24, 2019
I met you at Monterey Village. May you rest in peace!
Peter Gegenheimer
February 23, 2019
My double name drove Janet nuts: "Pat, Mary, Mary Pat--who the h---- are you?" she joked more than once when she was calling roll. And we both enjoyed the humor of talking with each other while standing, especially if I was wearing heels: she came to my elbow. But those moments aside, I was privileged to be in one of Janet's seminars which was so cutting edge that some of the readings had not yet been published. That course's bibliography could still stand as representative of the specialization.
Mary Pat McQueeney
February 19, 2019
Janet was one of the best professors I worked with at KU. She was absolutely astute, clear, wise, and insightful. May she rest and read in peace.
Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
February 19, 2019
I have thought of Dr. Sharastanian many times over the years. I took only one lowly course from her, English II, I believe. I'm sure it wasn't the best class she ever had! She became so frustrated with our writing skills she did something none of my other professors did. She deigned to reach down to us and teach us how to write!!! She spent a great deal of time showing us examples of our writing and how it could be improved. No other teacher at that time, ever did that for me, including high school English teachers and professors! Later some of her methods were often used, but then it was unusual. You were just supposed to somehow know how to write from reading and from diagramming sentences! Later I became a teacher myself and found myself struggling to teach middle schoolers how to write. I thought many times of her and how I didn't want to pass on poor writers to college professors! Thank you Dr. Sharastanian for your service to the University and to the students you taught!
February 19, 2019
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