by Melissa Dinverno

Spring 2024 semester marked one year since we lost our friend, colleague, and mentor Professor Kim Geeslin. While we came together as a department in the wake of her sudden passing, many wanted to remember Kim collectively as we started a new academic year without her. Given Kim’s life-long love of running, her practical character, and her joy in bringing people together, we decided to organize a run/walk event that would gather the department for an active and fun morning and, along the way, raise money for the scholarship in her name. Realizing that many beyond the department and IU might want to join us, we spread the word, and people who had known Kim volunteered services and/or asked to help.

Over the 2023-24 academic year, what was first envisioned as a departmental gathering where we would meet at the Switchyard to run/walk the B-Line trail, turned into a true, timed 5K Race/3K Walk event with over 200 participants on Sunday, May 5^th, Cinco de Mayo. Friends, families and their dogs (as many know, Kim was a dog lover) came out on a gorgeous morning at the end of what had been a turbulent and exhausting semester for many of us at IU. Kim’s race couldn’t have come at a better time, giving everyone a chance to laugh, catch up, and reconnect with each other, and meet new friends. Kim’s family and dog Quincy were there in person or in spirit (and finished with some of the best times!). Friends and colleagues around the country did virtual runs and posted pictures and messages of support. It was such a fun and meaningful event, and she would have been so thrilled.

Many happily and generously donated their time, services and funds to make this happen, and the organizing was very much part of the remembrance. A small group of colleagues spearheaded the planning, and it grew. Our faculty and graduate students, their families, and Kim’s friends beyond IU set up the routing, food and drinks; made signage; checked-in participants; kept runners on the right path and cheered them on; and cleaned up afterwards. Our graduates designed and ordered the beautiful race shirts. We’re so thankful to individual donors, as well as to our partner sponsors, all of whom were friends with Kim and were grateful to be involved: Avers Pizza (t-shirts), Bloomington Bagel Company (bagels and schmear), and Perfect Timing (race bibs & registration/check-in, timing, and results). We’re looking forward to the final report on donations that the run generated for Kim’s Scholarship, but we already know that it substantially supported our ability to offer awards to our graduate students in Linguistics.

It was a beautiful and meaningful way to honor Kim. We’re looking forward to repeating next year and hope everyone will come out and join us again.