Julia LaBua, long-time University of Iowa employee, alumna, and friend and colleague to all of us in International Programs, passed away on January 11, 2024. We are saddened by the death of Julia, as are many others whose lives she touched.
International Programs will be hosting a celebration of life event in honor of Julia on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at noon (CST) in 1117 University Capitol Centre, Iowa City, Iowa. The event can also be watched virtually via Zoom (please register here to receive the Zoom link).
Julia was a writer, an editor, and a lover of books, knitting, wrestling, and Bruce Springsteen. She was full of wit and humor which showed up most in her writing. Her love for Springsteen, for example, can best be explained in her own words, “I’ve seen 30 Bruce Springsteen concerts in seven states, in football stadiums, baseball fields, basketball arenas, and beautiful old theaters. I’ve sat in the nosebleed seats, and I’ve sat in the sixth row center stage. The worst show I ever saw was wonderful. The best show was … transcendent.”
Julia started her career at the University of Iowa in 2002, where she worked in the College of Nursing at the Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence. In 2006, while completing her bachelor's degree at Iowa, Julia received the Kenneth Cmiel Human Rights Award. The Kenneth Cmiel Award is designed to recognize a college student and/or graduate student who has followed up on their interest in and knowledge of human rights by actively working in the field in the dedicated and determined way that Kenneth Cmiel advocated during his lifetime.
In 2007, she joined International Programs as office manager of the Study Abroad office. Over the years, she took on more responsibilities including becoming the MAUI administrator, database guru, and registrar for Study Abroad. She will be remembered for her ability to think through difficult processes and keeping things running smoothly for Study Abroad staff members. She was a master of all things related to technology, offering us more unofficial tech support than we can mention. Her editor’s eye meant an extreme attention to detail which was complimented by her ability to correct our mistakes with grace and tact.
Prior to working at Iowa, Julia was the features editor at the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and before that spent 12 years at the Quad-City Times as the entertainment editor, interviewing entertainers and reviewing concerts. One of the highlights was interviewing Johnny Cash. Again, in her own words, “I once interviewed Johnny Cash. He was amazingly kind and generous, despite being in his bathrobe and being interviewed by a nobody from Davenport, Iowa. I’ve interviewed other famous people, too, but come on. Johnny Cash? Doesn’t get any better than that.”
If you would like to share your memories of Julia or provide comments to be added to the bottom of this notice, please send them to katherine-ron@uiowa.edu.
Comments
"I am shocked and saddened by this news. Julia was my go to “word girl”… a living thesaurus. She was an expert on grammar, punctuation, and usage of vocabulary. She kept up on current trends in the field and had a vast historical knowledge base. She was an avid reader and ever ready to discuss books we read in common." - Mary Paterson
"Please let me express my deepest condolences to everyone in IP and to Julia’s friends and family. She was a gem, and we will hold her memory forever in our hearts." - Russell Ganim
"Julia was a good friend and awesome colleague. I always valued her strategic thinking and writing ability— if I didn’t know what to say or how to say it, she did. Her book recommendations never fail me and, even after leaving Iowa, I continue to use her blog to pick out new books. I would break up my workday in Study Abroad talking with Julia about books, Iowa basketball, fancy ink pens, stationary (she started a serious washi tape addiction), and dogs. Julia was passionate about Iowa wrestling and attempted on several occasions to teach me how to watch the sport and enjoy it. I never got to a point of true understanding, but I always enjoyed going to the meets and spending time with her. I always left a conversation with Julia knowing more than I did beforehand. I’m so lucky to have known Julia. She was one of a kind." - Amy Bowes
"I always enjoyed working with Julia. I admired her intelligence and her wit. Bruce Springsteen has one less true fan today." - John Rogers
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Julia LaBua. My heartfelt condolences go out to study abroad, IP, and her family and friends. As a colleague, Julia was incredible, always on top of her game. As a friend, I'll remember her love of reading and as a superfan of the Boss. She'll be greatly missed." - Sterling Bacher
"I was saddened to learn of Julia’s passing. As others have mentioned, her wit, writing, editing, and intellect were second to none. Julia was also an expert at reading people, at remembering the smallest of details. We worked together at the UI Center for Human Rights. She would often bring in a CD she had burned for me as we both shared a love of Americana music. It would be full of deep cuts and little know songs from the albums of John Prine, John Hiatt, and, of course, Springsteen. The CDs would never disappoint. When I would ask how she picked just the right songs, the answer would be, 'I just know, Crooksie. I just know.' Julia was one of the good ones and I’ll miss her." - Liz Crooks
"I really enjoyed working with Julia on so many IT projects for Study Abroad over the years. Julia was smart, creative, and also very practical, so helped us design IT solutions that met the need at the time in a direct and effective way. She was very capable with solutions we built, and knowledgeable in applying them to Study Abroad workflow—I am sure it’s difficult finding the person (or persons) to take on her responsibilities. Perhaps most importantly, Julia helped make work fun. Her dry sense of humor, wit, and intelligence was always available at our meetings and our team enjoyed our exchange, accomplishing goals while laughing. We had some very productive, yet often hilarious--and therefore memorable--meetings." - Steve Bowers
"Julia’s intelligence and whit were beyond compare. At my baby shower she was the only one to successfully take every letter from my full name and come up with a name for my baby. ‘Jude Stinker Fries’. She will always be remembered as I still call Sylvia – Jude Stinker Fries on occasion. I am grateful for having known Julia, for having the opportunity to work with her for many years, and to have called her a friend." - Kristine Djerf
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.