Beverly Ann Busching, 75, on DECEMBER 20, 2012, passed away in her Santa Fe, NM home, of ovarian cancer. She was born in Dallas, Texas on July 6, 1937. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, receiving a BA in Psychology, in 1958. She was awarded a Masters in Elementary Education from Harvard and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. Beverly taught in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina until she retired in 2002 as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
Throughout her career she was recognized with numerous awards and honors and was invited to teach at international schools in Kenya, Singapore, Burma, Burkina Faso, and Sweden. In 1982, she founded the Midlands Writing Project, a collaborative program of the University and South Carolina school districts dedicated to improving the teaching of writing in elementary and secondary schools. She also worked with the National Writing Project to create a national network of local leaders who explored ways to connect schools with their communities. She published extensively in her field, including her most recent book, It's Our World Too: Socially Responsive Learners in Middle School Language Arts. After relocating to Santa Fe in 2002, she continued as a consultant to teacher education programs.
Beverly was a longtime member of the Religious Society of Friends and a beloved member of the Santa Fe Monthly Meeting, where she had served as Clerk. She was an active member of Peace and Social Concerns, the Future Committee, and the Immigrant Alliance, where she advocated for rights for undocumented immigrants. Prior to moving to Santa Fe, she was an active member of the Columbia, SC Friends Meeting, where she served as Clerk of Ministry and Oversight, on the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Clerk of First Day School Committee and volunteered with First Day School for many years. She was active in the South Carolina Christian Action Council as an advocate for social justice. She first began attending Quaker Meetings in college in Palo Alto, CA and later during graduate school in Boston. In 1960 she and her former husband were co-directors of an AFSC work camp on the Tule River Indian Reservation in California.
Her pacifism and commitment to the tenants of Quakerism were the foundation of a lifestyle of simplicity and lifelong participation in the peace movement and other social justice movements. She had an active mind, always finding precise words to express opinions with both kindness and strength. She also expressed herself as an accomplished painter. Her family and many cherished friends will remember her generosity, grace, and intelligence as well as her love of books, art, music and nature. Beverly led and participated in many volunteer projects. She was active in the League of Women Voters Santa Fe County, a member of the board and treasurer of the Alternatives to Violence Project of Northern New Mexico, a member of the board of the Conservation Voters New Mexico Education Fund, among other volunteer activities.
Beverly’s parents were Daniel Grafton Bell and Bennie Warren Bell. Beverly is survived by two children, Sarah Busching of Harrisonburg, Virginia and Alice Reynolds (Daniel) of San Francisco, California, and their father, Bruce Busching of Harrisonburg, Virginia; brother, Alan Bell (Inger); two grandchildren, Ruby and Oscar Reynolds; niece, Kirsten Bell (Aref); nephew, Duncan Bell (Melanie); and five grand nieces and one grand nephew.
A Quaker memorial service was held February 23, 2013 in Santa Fe