Margaret "Hodgie" Bricke, former University of Kansas Assistant Vice Provost for International Programs, died Sunday, January 19, 2020 in her Lawrence, Kansas, home. She was 80.
Dr. Bricke, who was known by all as "Hodgie," (a name she selected for herself as a child), had a life-long passion for international education, her family, cooking, reading, gardening, and all things Scotland.
Born July 2, 1939 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hodgie attended Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, before pursuing a Master's Degree in medieval history at Fordham University in New York. She moved to Lawrence in 1963 to attend KU as part of a doctoral program in European history.
She married John "Jack" Bricke in 1964 and received her Ph.D. in Modern European History from KU in 1972. Hodgie took a position as a program assistant for International Programs at KU in 1989, becoming Assistant Dean in 1991, Interim Co-Associate Vice Provost in 2007, and finally Assistant Vice Provost in 2009. During those years she assisted in making KU one of the nation's leaders in student participation in study abroad programs. Hodgie particularly focused on the Fulbright program, working with 20 to 30 students annually as they applied for Fulbright scholarships to go abroad. She also brought as many as 100 foreign educators to KU as part of the Fulbright graduate direct exchange program. Hodgie was also awarded two Fulbright grants herself for International Education Administrators, first to Germany in 1993 and then to Japan in 2000. She received the "Outstanding Service to the Fulbright Program Award" from the Institute of International Education in 2010.
Up until her death, Hodgie swam several miles three times a week, was a regular parishioner at St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, and was a weekly volunteer at Small World, a program for international women living in Lawrence, where she first worked with children and then their mothers helping them to learn English and other skills.
Hodgie is survived by, among others, her husband, Jack; her son and daughter-in-law Ian and Jessica Bricke and granddaughter Pilar Bricke, all of Los Angeles, California; her brother and sister-in-law Pat and Georgia Shaw of Bethesda, Maryland; her sister Barbara Shaw of Minneapolis, Minnesota; her sister and brother-in-law Mary Shaw and Michael Mahar, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; nephews J. Brendan Shaw, of Dayton, Ohio, Mickey Mahar of Berlin, Germany; and nieces Brigid Shaw of Boston, Massachusetts, and Nicole Merrill of Eugene, Oregon. Her parents John Bennett Shaw and Margaret Fitzgerald Shaw and her sister Catherine Shaw are deceased.
A memorial service will be held at St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center (1631 Crescent Rd, Lawrence, KS 66044) at 2pm on Saturday, February 1st. A subsequent celebration of life will be announced at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Small World (http://smallworldlawrence.blogspot.com/p/contact.html) and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
For more information or to post a condolence go to warrenmcelwain.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
3 Entries
Dear Jack and Family,
It was my great good luck to find myself serving on the Fulbright Committee. Hodgie was amazingly good at everything I saw her do over the years. She brought out the best us, faculty and student applicants alike. It's hard to describe how well she herded us while appreciating our work - perhaps cheerful, affectionate browbeating captures an aspect of her style, applied only when it warranted. She enriched the University & International Studies through her efficient, significant, cheerfully forthright work. I also enjoyed a few swims with her but did not make it a habit and can hear her asking "Been swimming lately, Catherine?" meaningfully when we met.
Thank you for her photo - it is her "to the life."
Catherine Schwoerer
February 1, 2020
Her life was service!
Leslie and Jennie Dienes
January 23, 2020
We are very sad at Hodgie's passing. We will miss her in multiple contexts.
Paul & Carol Enos
January 23, 2020
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 results
Funeral services provided by:
Warren-McElwain Mortuary Lawrence Chapel120 West 13th, Lawrence, KS 66044
The nightly ceremony in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated in honor of your loved one on the day of your choosing.
Read moreWhat kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read moreWe'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read moreIf you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read moreLegacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read moreThey're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel.
Read more