Dorothy Ann Bishop, who coached two generations of competitive debaters and taught thousands of students, died peacefully at her home in DeKalb, Illinois, on Monday, November 8, 2010. The cause of death was cancer of the liver, according to her husband Jim. She was 78 years old.

Born in Commerce, OK, on March 12, 1932, Dorothy was the daughter of Hanson B. and Susan (Lynch) Cresap. She attended public schools in Commerce and graduated from Commerce High School in 1949. Mickey Mantle was one of her classmates there. Dorothy received her B.S. in Education from Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) in Pittsburg, KS, in 1952. She excelled as a debater both in high school and at KSTC.

In September 1952, Dorothy began her teaching career at Emporia (Kansas) High School, where she taught speech and English classes, coached the debate and public speaking teams, and met her future husband, Jim. After teaching two years in Emporia, Dorothy enrolled in the Graduate School of the University of Missouri at Columbia, Missouri. She received a Master of Arts degree there in May 1955. She continued her graduate studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during the 1955-56 academic year.

Following her wedding to Jim on August 26, 1956, Dorothy began her college teaching career as an assistant professor at Washburn University in Topeka, KS. She taught public speaking and debate classes as well as coaching the university?s intercollegiate debate teams for four years. Her debaters at Washburn achieved national recognition.

Dorothy gave birth to her son, Douglas, on June 27, 1960 in Topeka. She returned to teaching in September in 1961 at her alma mater, KSTC-Pittsburg.

In September, 1963, Dorothy accepted an appointment as assistant professor in the Speech (now Communication) Department at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. She taught at NIU for the next forty years, retiring in May, 2003. Among the courses she taught at Northern were Argumentation and Debate, Rhetoric and Public Address, Discussion, Speech Writing, and Introduction to Public Speaking. One of her major responsibilities there was her work on the Forensics Staff, coaching NIU?s intercollegiate debaters. She loved teaching and derived great satisfaction from her work.

Dorothy also loved opera and the theater. She and Jim subscribed to and supported the Lyric Opera of Chicago for 38 years. In addition, they regularly attended and supported The Chicago Opera Theatre, The Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Santa Fe Opera. She and Jim also subscribed and contributed to four Chicago theaters: The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Court Theater, and The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

Dorothy was a member of the Cresap Family Society, which traces its roots back to eighteenth-century colonial America. From her teen years onward she was a licensed Amateur Radio Operator, maintaining a regular weekly contact with her older brothers. Dorothy read widely in British and American history and was an acute observer of modern manners, morals, and politics. She and Jim enjoyed reading aloud to one another. She traveled extensively in the U.S., France, and Canada. She made friends wherever she went and held her friendships very dear. She was a marvelous cook and never lost her zest for life. She was a long-time survivor of an earlier (pharyngeal) cancer, a very difficult battle which this tiny woman fought courageously and won.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents and by a brother, H.B. Cresap, of San Diego. Survivors include: her husband Jim, of the home; her son, Douglas (Katherine) Bishop and her granddaughter, Emily Ann Bishop, of Pittsburgh, PA; her brother, John P. Cresap, of Randolph, NJ; and a nephew, John H. Cresap (Linda), of El Cajon, CA.

Dorothy?s family wishes to express its deep gratitude to all who helped her through these last, difficult months, and especially to the staff at the Kishwaukee Cancer Center and the DeKalb County Hospice. Dorothy asked that no funeral or memorial services be held for her. At her request, Dorothy?s body will be donated to Northern Illinois University for medical research. To send an online condolence visit: www.ronanmoorefinch.com. Arrangements were entrusted to Ronan-Moore-Finch Funeral Home 310 Oak St. DeKalb, IL 60115 (815) 758-3841.

Service:

Visitation: