Dr. J Brooke Workman

WORKMAN, LEWIS, HICKEY, MCKIMMEY, HELMUTH

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 7/3/2009 at 10:14:39

Dr. J Brooke Workman, 72, formerly of Iowa City, died May 29, 2006 in Cape Coral Florida.

He was born in Marshalltown, Iowa on June 20, 1933, the son of Don and Inez Workman. Brooke attended grade school in Maxwell, Iowa where his father was Superintendent of Schools. The family moved to Marshalltown in 1945 and Brooke graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1951. He married Marilyn Lewis on December 26, 1954, in Waterloo, Iowa.

Brooke attended Iowa State Teachers College from 1951-1955 where he completed his B.A. and Master’s degree. Brooke finished his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa in 1968. He taught 36 years in various places around the world, including Waterloo West High School; Munich American high; SHAPE NATO high school in Belgium and Iowa City West High School.

He also taught summer seminars at the University of Iowa, the University of Richmond, and assignments on behalf of the U.S Information Agency in Sweden, the Philippines, Germany, New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan, and The Hague. He conducted numerous seminars at National Council of Teachers of English and American Studies conventions.

Brooke published many articles and numerous books on curriculum theory, and developed a testing system to improve English skills. He was awarded a medal of recognition from the Freedoms Foundation in 1978. He chaired the committee to establish high school English standards for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He was a participant at the English Coalition in 1987 at Wye Plantation. He was recognized as an outstanding teacher by the University of Iowa, Grinnell College, Carleton College and by the Disney Channel. He was named an Iowa Teacher of the Year in 1985-86.

He retired from teaching in 1997 and he and Marilyn moved to Florida in September, 1997. He lived at Tara Woods in North Fort Myers until his death.

Brooke is survived by his wife, Marilyn; a daughter, Leslie (Paul) Hickey of Des Moines, IA; a son, Mark Workman of Los Angeles, CA; a sister, Brenda (Gary) McKimmey of Ankeny, IA; a brother, Burris (Eleanor) Workman of Richmond, VA and one granddaughter, Cate Helmuth of Glenview, IL.

He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant son.