Ethel D. Migra, Ph.D.

February 2, 1930 - October 19, 2022

service

A Celebration of Life will be planned in the coming months.

Ethel D. Migra, Ph.D., age 92, was a dedicated educator devoted to progressive ideas about education and humanistic values. She viewed teaching as a natural partnership with curiosity and life-long learning.

After raising her three daughters, she completed her Ph.D. at Kent State University in her 40s. She was appointed Supervisor of Elementary Education for Warren Public Schools in the late 1970s. Dr. Migra’s plan for desegregation and a social studies curriculum drew criticism from the local Board of Education, resulting in a contract dispute that eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In his summary of the case, University of Missouri researcher, Dr. David Achtenberg, said about Ethel Migra, “She was a hero. She deserved better.”

Dr. Migra joined National Louis University (formerly National College of Education) in 1980 as Professor of Teacher Education. As Dean, she developed field-based graduate teacher education programs in Chicago, Florida, Germany, England and Italy.

After retirement in 1994, she continued as Adjunct Professor of Teacher Education at the Graduate School, St. Xavier University, until she was 81 years old.

Ethel was a life-long journal keeper and voracious reader. She was enthralled by politics and current events and read everything from The New Yorker and The Sun to People Magazine. She had a life-long dedication to progressive politics and had frequent, passionate talks with family and friends about the state of the world.

Born in Elyria, Ohio, the daughter of Sula O. and Hazel, née Carnahan, Kerley, Ethel was raised on a farm and enjoyed writing, blogging, cooking and entertaining. A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she will be deeply missed by her three daughters, Jerri-Anne Garl (Charles Smith), Patricia Garl, and Sara Garl; her five grandchildren, Wren Garl Smith (Jessica Kinyon), Emma Garl Smith (David Javier Thompson), Hannah Garl Cobb, and Olivia Garl; and two great-grandchildren, Jack Kinyon Smith and Margaux Kinyon Smith; as well as extended family and many dear friends.

A Celebration of Life will be planned in the coming months.

Funeral info: 847.673.6111 or habenfuneral.com to sign guestbook and to leave a condolence message.

Ethel D. Migra, Ph.D., age 92, was a dedicated educator devoted to progressive ideas about education and humanistic values. She viewed teaching as a natural partnership with curiosity and life-long learning. After raising her three daughters, she completed her Ph.D. at Kent State University in her 40s. She was appointed Supervisor of Elementary Education forContinue Reading

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Hello. I am so sad, and shocked. I was going through my email contacts to send word about a business I started and when I came across Ethel's email I googled her and found the obituary. Oh my goodness. She was such a joy to work with! I was her colleague at Saint Xavier University. She, Earl, and I worked on the first conceptual framework for the School of Education. We shepherded field-based master's students together; she was the Pearson side of the equation and I was SXU's. I LOVED working with your mom, mother-in-law, grandmother, and great. The latter is for sure, she was great! Please know that there are likely so many of us that you have never met that will sit at their dining room tables and cry so much they can't see the keys as they type. She was a precious soul, and I'll cherish her in my heart. I'm grateful the Universe saw fit for me to find this out so close to her transition. Much affection sent to the entire family.

Dear Jerri-Anne, Patricia, Sara, I was saddened to hear of the passing of your mom, Dr. Ethel Migra. Dr. Migra, Ethel, was a true progressive educator with a focus on social justice that awakened and inspired all who knew and worked with her. There'd have been no ground-breaking, innovative Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) Field-Based Teacher Education Master's Program, now emulated across the country, without her. Dr. Migra was a powerhouse. Her vision and leadership gave birth to IDS and now many other programs within and beyond NCE. All the colleagues, friends, and memories made in my 25 + years at NLU could not have happened without your mom (including her recommending I read the novel Angle of Repose). As a longtime subscriber to The Sun, I was pleased to hear she was as well! A life lived to the full and on the square.

Jerri, family and friends, your Mother’s life is so impressive. She truly lived life to the fullest and I think I see much of you Jerri in the reading of this awesome life lived by your Mother.Respectfully your,Janet Alexander Davis

A memorial tree was planted in memory of Ethel Migra, Ph.D. . Plant a Tree

Sending so much love to you all in this sad sad time. The loss is immense and keenly felt by you, first and foremost, but also by her many friends, like me, whose lives she transformed with her wit, intelligence, and compassion. I laughed more with Ethel than anyone in my life, and I feel blessed to have worked with her all those years. My deepest sympathies to all the family.

Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.

Jerrianne, Patty, Sara you were the Apple of your mother’s eyes. She made a big difference in my life and in many other people with whom she came in contact. My deepest condolences to you and your children.

Jerri and Family,My deepest condolences in the loss of your mom. May God grant you peace and comfort during this time and the days ahead.

I am so very sorry about the loss of your Mother! I remember her fondly when she was living at the Atrium! She was a wonderful lady!!

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.