Catherine Elizabeth Shuster

Catherine Elizabeth Shuster (“Kate”) died Tuesday, July 9, 2024, 11 months after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, just a few days shy of her 50th birthday. She was at home, surrounded by her husband and a few other dear friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Don Byron Shuster and Sandra “Sandy” Eleene Delaney. She was married to Stephen Stetson in 2009 and they lived happily in Montgomery with their dogs and cats.

She is survived by her brothers, William, who lives in Albuquerque with his wife Sara Samani, and Matthew.

Kate was a consultant and writer and educator, with career accomplishments that were nationally celebrated and had a global reach. For much of her career, she was involved in teaching debate and argumentation to young people. She helped school systems establish debate programs and founded several competitive debate leagues that continue to exist today. She developed a particular fondness for middle school debate, and her work in the area of critical thinking and debate promotion took her around the world. She published several books on debate and argumentation, including a leading textbook.

Kate developed a second area of expertise after moving to Alabama, and quickly became a national expert in this area as well. She authored and conducted a study that revealed U.S. schools were failing to teach the history of African enslavement. After reporting her findings, Kate developed a comprehensive guide to teaching and learning about this critical aspect of our history at all grade levels: A Framework for Teaching American Slavery. Wanting to offer educators a more accessible and reliable form of professional development in this subject area, she then taught herself how to make a podcast and went on to produce multiple seasons of the groundbreaking Teaching Hard History series. In founding her own Hard History Project, Kate worked with museums and historic sites, connecting them with K-12 educators, insisting that “the history might be hard, but learning shouldn’t be.”

She collaborated with universities, historic sites, museums, and organizations on both coasts and everywhere in between. Just last year, she received a major award from the National Parks Service for her work with the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. She was due to accomplish so much more.

As a college policy debater for Emory in 1996, Kate was the third woman to ever win the prestigious National Debate Tournament after Sarah Jane Benson (Ohio State, 1962) and Ouita Papka (University of Kentucky, 1986). Kate’s victory, achieved with her partner David Heidt, had a monumental effect on the modern era of college policy debate, and was a milestone for Emory University. Just months ago, Emory awarded Kate the Warren Akin Outstanding Alumni Contributions award. Kate inspired an entire generation of debaters who observed her excellence as a competitor and a teacher.

Kate served on the boards of directors of numerous national nonprofit organizations, but also enjoyed the simple pleasures of serving as the treasurer for her local neighborhood association. She had a radiant smile, voracious appetite for books, and razor sharp wit. She loved animals and travel and learning new skills. She will be immensely missed by many.

Donations in Kate’s name can be made to the Women’s Debate Institute or Doctors Without Borders.