Doob, Penelope Billings Reed - Penelope Reed Doob died peacefully on Saturday, March 11, 2017, at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, after a long and brave battle with Parkinson's disease at the age of 73.
Beloved daughter of the late Thomas L. and Betsy Reed, and dear sister of Thomas L. Reed Jr. Penelope was the loving wife of Graham Parker (deceased) and Anthony Doob.
Penelope was a Professor of Dance, English Literature, and Women's Studies at York University, where she also served as Chair of the Department of Dance, Associate Vice President of Faculties, Associate Principal of Glendon College, and Academic Director for York's Centre for the Support of Teaching. Her teaching and research areas encompassed Medieval and Renaissance studies; dance history and criticism; sexual stereotypes in opera, literature, and dance; and non-fiction writing. She published three books: Nebuchadnezzer's Children: Conventions of Madness in Medieval Literature; The Idea of the Labyrinth from the Classical Period through the Middle Ages; and, with Charlotte Morse and Marjorie Woods, The Uses of Manuscripts in Literary Studies. She also co-authored with Stephen Godfrey legendary Canadian principal dancer Karen Kain's Movement Never Lies: An Autobiography.
Penelope's reviews and feature articles appeared in publications such as the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, Dance Magazine, Ballet News, Performing Arts in Canada, and Ballet International. She developed more than 20 documentaries for the CBC Radio program, The Dance, and wrote extensive historical program notes for the National Ballet of Canada.
A graduate of The Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island, Penelope went on to major in English Literature at Harvard University, where she graduated 'summa cum laude'. She took her doctorate at Stanford University, her dissertation there becoming her first book, on medieval madness. Among her academic honors, she was the recipient of Woodrow Wilson, Kent, and Guggenheim Fellowships. Despite a lifelong fascination with the arts, she was also keenly interested in the sciences, and was a founding President of Reed McFadden, a medical research company focusing on HIV/AIDS.
One of Penelope's greatest passions was for Camp Pemigewassett, a summer camp in New Hampshire for young boys that has been in her family for four generations. As a co-owner and member of the Board of Directors, she contributed directly to the camp program for decades, including her production and direction of the annual Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. It was the place she had spent her summers growing up and she was devoted to it. It was her favorite place on earth.
As brilliant and engaged as Penelope was, she was also patient and caring. She was principled but never doctrinaire, inspiring but never condescending, a most serious person who could, often, be seen laughing on the very edges of bodily control. As her resume suggests, she was never afraid to try something new. We are richer for her presence and we will miss her greatly.
A Celebration of Penelope's Life will be held at a later date. Plans for commemoration will be given when they become available.
Donations to the Parkinson's Foundation, the Humane Society or Public Broadcasting would be appreciated by the family as your expression of sympathy.
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