Page 32 - E-BOOK PULSE@FASS ISU NO.02/2023

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FELICITATIONS
FF E L I C I I T A T I O N S Issue no. 2 | 2023
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FAREWELL TO TWO STALWARTS OF THE
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR.
AGNES YEOW SWEE KIM CAROL ELIZABETH LEON

19 September 1991 - 18 July 2023 19 November 1991 - 20 July 2023
July 2023 was a sad month, as we at the English Department said goodbye to two of our best friends;
Associate Professor Dr Carol Leon and Associate Professor Dr Agnes Yeow retired within two days of

each other. They were both long-serving members of the department, having moved from their
undergraduate days, to their Master’s degrees, straight into jobs as lecturers. Later, they went
overseas to do their PhDs, with Carol going to the Australian National University, and Agnes to the
National University of Singapore. Upon returning to the department, they both also took their turns as
Head of Department. And of course, they contributed not just as lecturers, but also as researchers,
carrying out interesting research projects and publishing in top journals.

But those are just the ‘facts’ of their careers. Certainly we will miss their contribution as educators and
administrators. What we will really miss, though, is their friendship. When I joined the department as
an undergraduate, Carol and Agnes seemed to me to exist in a different world: I was a brash,
bumptious first year, and they were final year students, preparing so seriously to graduate and move
onwards. We got to know each other much better when we were all doing our Master’s degrees in the

department. This is when I discovered their enjoyment of life (especially food – we bonded over that!),
their sense of humour, and their hidden talents, about which they remained so humbly quiet. Agnes
and Carol both have extraordinary singing voices, and they were kind enough to share those talents
with us at a number of different events in the department.

Now that they have left, the department keenly feels their absence, but we will stay friends, sharing
jokes and meals together, keeping them up to date on happenings in the department and our lives.
We wish them nothing but the best for the future.

Happy Retirement!
Happy Retirement!

32 | Pulse@FASS