Karen Gould

Karen Keel Gould died on Tuesday, April 17, at Seton Medical Center. She was born in Austin on September 26, 1946, and attended Brykerwoods School, O. Henry Junior High, and Austin High School, from which she graduated with honors in 1964. She played on the tennis team, was ranked in the state in doubles at one point, and was a member of Red Jackets. She received her B. S. (magna cum laude), M.A., and Ph. D degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. She married Lewis L. Gould on October 24, 1970. She had no other close relatives, but as his "Aunt Karen," Gareth Cordery of Monmouth, Illinois had a special place in her heart.

Karen was a publishing scholar in medieval art history from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. Her work on illuminated manuscript and early printed books appeared in Art Bulletin and other distinguished scholarly publications that were peer-reviewed and highly competitive. She was the author of The Psalter and Hours of Yolande of Soissons, published by the Medieval Academy in 1978. She was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Oregon during the winter and spring of 1980, and she held a Mellon Fellowship at Duke University in 1980-1981. She taught courses on the Gutenberg Bible for the University of Texas at Austin from 1981 to 1987. During the University's Centennial she gave lectures on the Gutenberg Bible in twelve Texas cities. Illness forced her retirement from teaching in 1988.

Throughout her struggles to regain her health, she continued to write book reviews and encyclopedia articles. Some of these may be found in Magill's Literary Annual, 1999-2011. They reveal the range of her intellectual interests and the acuteness of her analytic gifts for understanding the visual arts, music, and philosophy.

Her husband is grateful to the following individuals who gave Karen such good care and personal support throughout her years of illness and emotional difficulty: Dorry Albright, Anne Bogaev, Larry Breedlove, Carl Brockman, Cheryl Campbell, Stacy Cordery, Marcia Desy, Niki Doering, Kim Greenwood, Minnie Holmes, Pepper Huffman, Sarah Kissee, Quita McMath, Sue Miller, Jianhua Mu, Candyce Ossefort-Russell, Shama Price, Mary Robbins, Emmett Sutton, Verta Stone, Teresa Strube, Karen White, Ron Yam, and Nancy Beck Young. The gifted staff of Austin Home Health gave of their time and talent for her over the past two months. Dr. Priti V. Jindal and the dedicated nurses and aides at Seton Medical Center did everything possible for Karen in her final illness. Karen very much appreciated what the congregation of the First Methodist Church meant to her throughout her life. Her many friends now recall her unwavering kindness, caring, and thoughtfulness. There will not be a funeral service nor a memorial service. Donations may be made to the Arbor Day Foundation, the Austin Humane Society, the First Methodist Church, or the charity of your choice.

Lie you easy, dream you light,

And sleep you fast for aye;

And luckier may you find the night

Than ever you found the day.