STC-Phila. Metro Chapter

Society for Technical Communication

In Memoriam: Donn R. DeBoard – 1954-2020

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Donn DeBoardOn August 25, 2020, STC Fellow and longtime member Donn DeBoard passed away. He was 66.

Donn was one of the first people I became friends with in the STC. I had just finished attending my first STC-Philadelphia Mid-Atlantic Technical Communication Conference (now known as CONDUIT) back in 2013. I was very nervous about meeting new people at the post-conference social. However, once I arrived at the restaurant, I sat down next to a quiet, reserved, yet very friendly individual. He introduced himself as Donn DeBoard and started to put me at ease and pull me out of my shell. We chit-chatted about our families–his daughter was just about to graduate from college, and he was rather proud of her accomplishments. He patiently listened to me tell him about how I had just restarted my career in tech comm, and about raising my own son. That night, a friendship with Donn DeBoard was forged.

During my short friendship with Donn, I came to learn about how passionate he was about tech comm–as much as I was. The trick was that he’d been doing it a LOT longer. I was among the proud attendees from Philadelphia who were able to see Donn receive his STC Fellow award in 2014. It was truly an honored moment for him, for sure! I had also gotten to know Donn for his work within our Philadelphia Metro chapter supporting the academic outreach program. During his tenure, he had built up incredible partnerships with local colleges and universities, but especially with Drexel, his alma mater, and was able to create a viable scholarship competition program for students. On the Society level, he was on the Nominating Committee, worked hard on the scholarship program, received the Distinguished Chapter Service Award, and presented at many local, regional, and international conferences. He was a force to be reckoned with!

The things that I remember most about Donn was his joy and willingness to help others out in the field–which is probably why he gravitated towards students and new technical communicators. As I shared the news of his passing with others from STC-PMC who had worked with him, several had said that he had helped them get a job in tech comm when they needed it most, or he was a fantastic mentor to them as they got started. He always jumped at the opportunity to serve as a mentor to many new professionals seeking guidance in this field. He was always curious, always open to learning new things in this ever-changing field, and adapt with the times.

For me personally, he was a different kind of mentor. As I ascended the ranks of the chapter leadership, Donn was always available to lend an ear and give advice. His wisdom influenced many decisions on chapter leadership. He was dedicated to protecting the chapter that he’d helped to build and maintain over the years.  After dealing with some health issues, Donn came back after a sabbatical from the Philadelphia chapter council to help with our chapter rebuilding, and ran for the new role of Secretary/Treasurer this year. We were so happy to have him back in the fold as we just kicked off our program year. Alas, he was unable to see the changes going forward with his passing.

All those I’ve talked to since passing along the news of his death have said the same thing. Donn was one of the nicest people you’d ever meet–a truly kind, good, soft-spoken person, who was easily amused by the silliest jokes from those around him, and someone who contributed so much to the STC. He was always wanting to help and support those around him, and took every opportunity he could to do so.  He was passionate about his activities with the STC, as it made up a prominent part of who he was. Even his obituary prominently highlighted his activities and accomplishments with the STC.

https://www.maugergivnish.com/obituary/donn-deboard

Donn was a member of the STC for almost 35 years, and his exuberance for the STC was with him right up until the end. The STC will certainly miss this bright light, but not more than those of us in his own Philadelphia Metro Chapter who will miss him the most.

–Danielle M. Villegas, STC-PMC Immediate Past President

Donn in action:

Council 2016
Donn as a member of the STC-PMC 2016 Council
Council 2012
Donn in the STC-PMC 2012 Council

 

Donn participating at CONDUIT.
Donn presenting at CONDUIT (He also presented often at STC Summit, too).
Donn representing STC-PMC at a local event.
Donn attending an Introverted Leadership workshop at CONDUIT.
Donn at CONDUIT, always socializing.
Donn at an STC-PMC Holiday Party.
Donn receiving recognition as one of the STC-PMC’s first recipients of our award for 30th anniversaries with the STC.
Donn getting recognition at an STC-PMC Year-End Banquet and Awards event.
Donn when he received his Associate Fellow at the 2011 STC Summit.
Donn when he received Fellow at the 2014 STC Summit.

 

STC Reminders

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stc_mod3SUMMIT EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED but really ends Friday, 13 February.

Be sure to take advantage of the best rate of the industry’s best education conference. Register here.  By the way, have you heard about a couple of the changes to this year’s Summit –

  • Leadership Program on Sunday morning is complimentary. This is a great opportunity for your community leadership to network with their peers from other communities. Registration for this is advised and can be done when you register for the Summit.
  • Honors banquet has become a reception on Tuesday immediately following education sessions from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, and is included with the Summit registration. New Associate Fellows, Fellows, and other major honorees will be celebrated during the event. And there will be time afterwards for dinner with friends or some other fun activity!

Member Get a Member Contest  EXTENDED…..  

The contest runs until MONDAY 16 February. Have your referral join STC by 16 February 2015 and list you in the “Referred by” field on the member application. New members must enter your name for you to get the referral credit.   For details and the toolkit, check the Member-Get-A-Member page . If prospective new members have questions you can’t answer please refer them directly to Cheryl Miller, STC’s membership manager at 571-366-1914.

2015 STC Membership Renewal Period Closes January 15!

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Now that the holidays are over, now you can get back to business.

But wait…you forgot to renew your STC Membership!

Fear not! The membership renewal period closes on January 15, 2015! You still have time! If you renew by January 15, you will be eligible to participate in the election of STC leadership.

There are other perks to renewing as soon as possible:

ONLINE COURSES AND WEBINARS – Check out the webinars scheduled through March  – STC webinars . And two excellent online courses starting next week – STC online courses .

SUMMIT EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ends 31 January. Be sure to take advantage of the best rate of the industry’s best education conference. Register here.

Other Reminders…

Member Get a Member Contest –  The contest runs until 2 February. Have your referral join STC by 2 February 2015 and list you in the “Referred by” field on the member application. New members must enter your name for you to get the referral credit.   Here is the link to the details and the toolkit: Member-Get-A-Member page . If prospective new members have questions you can’t answer please refer them directly to Cheryl Miller, STC’s membership manager at 571-366-1914.

And don’t forget to include STC Philadelphia Metro Chapter as your local STC chapter!!

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