the Shortest Day of Year

Elizabeth (Liz) Peck earned her PhD in English Literature in 1986 at the University of Rhode Island. Her dissertation, "Children in American Fiction, 1830-1920," focused not only on the role of children in literature, but on the dynamics of family and the role of women and children in various socioeconomic levels in society. During the course of her career at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, she published numerous scholarly articles, edited a collection of literary essays on feminist collaboration, co-founded the Women's & Gender Studies Program, and served as the director for the Center for Teaching Excellence from 1999-2003. Following her retirement, Liz relocated to Hilo, Hawaii where she enjoyed island life with a large and vibrant group of friends and family and continued to pursue the arts through diverse hobbies and classes, including ceramics, painting, Japanese language, classic films and of course, creative writing. Liz died on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, after a brief illness.