LEE PYE
Special to The Leader
Professor and Ph.D. Dr. Shannon Tate Jonas passed away suddenly on Dec. 23, 2023. Jonas was born on February 12, 1978, making him only 45 years old.
Jonas became a professor at Fredonia in 2018, teaching courses like Craft of Writing, Intro to Creative Writing and Intermediate and Advanced Poetry.
In Fall of 2023, he taught two classes of Intermediate Poetry, which was the first time Fredonia was able to fill 40 seats for poetry classes. Jonas advocated for more poetry classes, and regularly overrided students so they would be able to participate in the class.
Professor Shannon T. Jonas’ memorial for students and staff occurred this past Thursday, Feb. 1, at 5:00 p.m. in room 105 in Fenton Hall. His friends joined in on Zoom and his family attended in person, listening to the stories that were told by students about their favorite professor.
The people in attendance were India Jonas, wife; Justin Jonas, brother; Peggy Alderman, mother-in-law and his aunt- and uncle-in-law. Zoom attendees were Adam Clay, best friend and Sean Kotz, former professor.
The memorial started off with English Professor Michael Sheehan at the front podium, giving the floor to the students and staff if they wanted to speak about the matter.
Slowly, a student would stand, explaining how they met Professor Jonas and how he affected them. Then, the student would read a poem written by either themselves, as inspired by Jonas, or written by Jonas himself.
More and more students stood, repeating the process of reading their poems, then sitting back down while the room filled with snaps in a classic poetry-reading fashion.
Some reminisced on how he taught, with his love for 14-line poems, or his classic writing exercise of flipping through a book, choosing words he liked, then having the class create poems out of those words.
Chair of the English Department Dr. KimMarie Cole read a piece of a letter during the memorial. The letter was from the nomination of Shannon T. Jonas for a statewide award, the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching. It was stated by Cole that Jonas cannot win the award because the person needs to be a staff member at the time the award is presented. However, the department decided to share the nomination of Jonas and was met with snaps of approval.
“Shannon was a soft-spoken and large-hearted colleague. We were all shocked and deeply saddened by his death and wanted to gather together to share how Shannon changed the spaces we work and write and learn and teach in, as well as how he and his poetry continue to shape who we, as a community, are and will be. His death was a terrible loss to the Fredonia English Department, to the poetry and creative writing community on campus, to all his students, including alumni and to his friends and family. And to poetry in general.”
The English Department writing club Writers’ Ring, Professor Michael Sheehan and Drew DiPirro, a graphic design major, are currently working together to create an art and writing memorial for Professor Jonas. A collection of poems are in the works that will be curated to eventually display an art piece of Jonas. The poems would include Jonas’ poems, students’ poems inspired by Jonas and poems written in Jonas’ class.
Any student can submit their work, as well as faculty and staff members if they so choose. A date is not set for the release of the memorial project, but a plan is in place and they began collecting poems as of last Thursday. The photo is a QR code where students and staff can submit their Jonas-inspired poems.
Finally, from Amigone Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Jonas’ obituary reads, “Poet, teacher, and much-loved husband and friend, Shannon Tate Jonas died suddenly on Dec. 23, 2023. Born on Feb. 12, 1978, he grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia where he developed a deep appreciation for the natural world, solitude and the art of thinking in layers. Shannon loved language, books, music, baseball and finding true quiet.”
Shannon believed in education, which helped cultivate both his voice and his vocation. He earned his Ph.D. in English and creative writing from Western Michigan University, along with an MFA from the University of Arkansas and a BA from Virginia Tech. At these places, with the people he met, he evolved into a masterful writer and teacher who positively influenced those who knew and loved him.
Shannon was a true poet in every sense of the word. He published two collections, Battle Sleep and The Rake, with numerous poems appearing in journals and magazines over the last 20 years. His deep love of nature can be seen in each of his poems, and he wrote prolifically about what it means to be human, never shying away from topics like life, death and memory.
He cared fiercely about teaching and his students; his empathy and kindness toward them were evident on a daily basis. Shannon’s classroom was a place for learning, but also a place to model what it means to care for others and leave the world a better place than we find it. Through his support of his students and their work, he instilled in them a sense of belief and confidence they will carry for the rest of their lives.
He was the beloved husband of India (Fulbright) Jonas, who inspired and encouraged his work as a writer. He was the son of the late Danny Jonas, brother of Justin (Jennifer) Jonas, son-in-law of Peggy (Garland) Alderman, brother-in-law of the late Paul Fulbright, and friend to Bryan Robertson, Adam Clay and the late Matthew Henriksen. He leaves behind many other friends, colleagues and students whom he enriched profoundly.
“the light above the light is beautiful
the light above the light is all risen voices-gone-now-& to come.”
Multiple students commented on the page, discussing their interactions with Jonas.
Joel “Frosty” Tobar, a junior audio/radio production major, expressed, “I took beginner and intermediate poetry with Shannon. More than what I learned in that class, what I remember is the sense of warmth and community that he fostered in his classroom. No idea was wrong. No creativity was shunned and no poem was something worth skipping. Week after week, attending his classes became a safe haven.”
One of Jonas’ poems that was read during the memorial was “Architecture.”
Architecture
“To know what it sounds like / I lay in the other room to hear / the music playing in the room / I once was in. I’ve been in / thousands of rooms or so / for seconds & days & years / & all are different & I’ve changed / few if any of them. You were / with me in a few of them, as I recall. / History describes the vile. Art the beautiful. / At times. When I reach for you, I’m trying / to be that. Like you I’ve been in thousands / of spaces. Like you, / I remain in only a few / & am with you there”