Kevin Keys Gushman

Mary Kevin Keys Gushman, age 75, of Falls Church, VA, passed away Friday, October 28, 2022, at Renaissance of Annandale where she had been in memory care since April. Diagnosed in 2017 with Alzheimer’s, Kevin, as she was known, lived with the disease like she did everything else, doing the absolute best she could for as long as she could. Kevin was born in Evanston, IL, on May 1, 1947, to Eugene M. Keys and Mary Frances Clooney Keys. She was the oldest of five sisters. Shortly after the family moved to Barrington, IL, in 1963, Kevin met Patrick Gushman at a Latin Club meeting at Barrington High School. She said it was love at first sight – presumably referring to the Bear Claw he was eating -- and they married in 1969 immediately following Kevin’s graduation from Northwestern University. At NU she majored in Latin and English Literature and minored in Art History, and she was president of the Tau chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. While Pat was finishing his Broadcasting degree at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale that same summer, Kevin took more Education hours there and did student teaching as a Saluki. Soon after they packed their dog, Sarge, and almost everything they owned (save some surplus Revere Bowls) into their hatchback Mustang, and drove from Chicago to Alaska. After trying to make a go of it there they came back to the lower 48 and settled in Boulder, CO, which had been her favorite stop on their earlier journey west. There they began their careers, took turns in graduate school at the University of Colorado, and started their family. She taught English and Latin for four years in Denver Public Schools and completed her MA at CU. The family moved to Northern Virginia permanently in 1978, where, while raising three boys, Kevin taught Latin, English, and Reading for over 30 years in Arlington Public Schools. She taught at H.B. Woodlawn (1981-1986), Kenmore Intermediate (1986-1991), and then Yorktown High School (1991-2012) for the majority of her time with Arlington County. At Kenmore, Kevin directed the reading program for four years, implementing schoolwide reading incentive activities like the Reading is Fundamental program among others. She also served as liaison to the school’s Partner in Education, the USA TODAY Educational Services Department. In 2004 she was named “Teacher of the Year” at Yorktown High School. She also received the Angela Lloyd Book Award from the Classical Association of Virginia that year, given for outstanding commitment to and excellence in Latin teaching and promotion of the study of Latin at the secondary level. For many years, Kevin was also on the writing team (1994–2003) and a consultant (2003 – post-retirement) for the National Latin Exam housed at the University of Mary Washington. The NLE is given annually to about 100,000 students in all 50 States in the U.S. and a couple dozen countries internationally. She also taught at the Virginia Governor’s Latin Academy for three years then served as director for three years. As director, in 2002, she was given the responsibility from the DOE to manage the relocation of the Academy from Hollins College in Roanoke, where it had been based for 11 years, to James Madison University in Harrisonburg (it is now at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland). She retired from Arlington Public Schools in 2012 though her commitment to education continued. She tutored elementary and secondary students, enrolling herself in community college Spanish language classes so she could better serve them. She also joined a study group of like-minded educators and classicists with a goal of teaching themselves ancient Greek. In her latter years as a teacher, Kevin also volunteered at Mount Vernon where she earned an eagle service award for over 250 hours of time given. She began with field work, until the knees protested and she switched to the archaeology lab there. She also volunteered at the Fairfax County Archaeological Collections Lab. “I’m hell at washing bricks,” she said. Post-retirement, she volunteered her time again with Mount Vernon, doing transcriptions of the estate’s 18th century documents for their digital initiatives. Kevin is deeply missed by a big family and a host of good friends. She made significant, lasting contributions to her profession (her calling, really), and she is well remembered by colleagues and innumerable students she taught along the way. We remember her quiet competence, razor-sharp mind and sense of humor, and above all her selflessness and the joy she got from teaching and helping others. The family wishes to express our gratitude to Renaissance of Annandale and Goodwin Hospice, for their care and kindness. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Patrick; sons Chris, married to Cheryl Tan, and their son, Jeremy; Kurt and his children with Lee (Grenier): Kyle, Connor, Garrett, Paul, Max, Camden, Luke, Aspen, and Jace; and Dan, married to Annie Laurie (Boland), and their daughters Tucker, Judy, and Mary Bo. She is also survived by three of her sisters, Deborah Lakin (Doug), Stephanie Keys, and Bucky Ramsey (Mark); cousin Paige Proctor; and nieces and nephews Andrea Gass, Zoe Frances Chaves, Mitch Ramsey, and Evan Hughes. She goes to join her beloved parents and dearly missed younger sister Les Martin (Larry) who passed in 2020. A private memorial service will take place at a later date. Those who might wish to do so are asked to consider a donation to RIF, Reading is Fundamental (rif.org), or to the NLE scholarship funds by mail to: National Latin Exam University of Mary Washington 1301 College Avenue Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Requiescat in pace.