CA:
A new death reported in Kern County, California:
The Kern County DPHS website has updated, increasing its total of influenza deaths from 9 to 10 through Oct. 31.
http://www.co.kern.ca.us/health/H1N1flu.asp
Award-winning professor dies / Pneumonia complicated by H1N1 claims WSU educator
By Jessica Schreifels Miller (Standard-Examiner staff)
Last Edit: 3 days 3 hours ago (Oct 31 2009 - 11:18am)
OGDEN — When Weber State University junior Amber Foy went to math class Monday, her professor, Diane Pugmire, didn’t seem as excited as she usually was.
“There was something different about her,” Foy said. “I could tell she wasn’t feeling the best.”
But Pugmire still taught the class.
“She is kind of stubborn,” Foy said. “Nothing was going to get her down.”
Later that day, Pugmire was hospitalized at Ogden Regional Medical Center. She died Wednesday at the age of 52.
Her daughter Natalie said the family heard Thursday afternoon from Weber-Morgan Health Department that the cause of death was bacterial pneumonia with complications from H1N1.
Dale Ostlie, dean of the College of Science, said Pugmire’s death has been a shock to the WSU community.
“Diane was one of those faculty that every dean dreamed of having,” he said.
“This has really been an incredible shock for everyone who knew her. She is going to be very deeply missed. She is one of those faculty who is almost irreplaceable.”
Pugmire had been a professor at Weber State since 1984, with classes ranging from basic math to teaching elementary education students how to teach math to students.
She, along with her colleague Dixie Blackinton, was recognized last week as Educator of the Year by the Utah Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Students said Pugmire was a professor who cared personally about every student in her classes.
“She was just able to make us feel that we were important to her and she loved us,” Foy said. “She loved her students more than words can explain, and she loved the department.”
Husband and wife Kyle and Ashly Fusselman each took courses from Pugmire.
Kyle, a pre-med student, took trigonometry, and Ashly, an elementary education major, took advanced math courses to learn how to teach math.
“She was just an absolutely amazing person all the way around,” Ashly said. “I’ve had a lot of math professors, and she was by far the best. She was so kind, and she would do anything for her students to help them pass.”
Kyle said Pugmire loved math and loved to help students better understand the subject.
“The thing I noticed most about her was, it was important to her that her students were successful,” he said. “You could tell by the way she talked that that was important to her.”
Ostlie said Pugmire affected thousands of students during her tenure at WSU.
Foy said she was one of them and strives to be a great teacher like Pugmire was.
“One of the first few days I had her (in class), I decided I wanted to be that kind of person she is to her students,” she said. “She would uplift me in math. People looked up to her.”
Funeral services for Pugmire will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Riverdale Stake Center, 4000 Parker Drive. Viewing will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday at the stake center.
The family is putting together a memory book and is asking those who knew Pugmire to e-mail stories or tributes to dianepugmire@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Diane Pugmire Scholarship Foundation, in care of Lisa Largent, Weber State University Development Office, 4018 University Circle, Ogden UT 84408-4018.