Lauretta Clough

Lauretta Clough (M.A. ’89, Ph.D. ’98), who taught and worked in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures for 25 years, died on September 21. Clough was also a graduate of the school; she received her Ph.D. in French language and literature with a specialization in translation theory in 1998.  

Clough first joined the university as an instructor in the Department of French and Italian, where she taught French language, culture and translation. She served as associate director for academic administration for the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures from 2012 until 2023, in which she managed all administrative aspects of graduate and faculty affairs.

She’s remembered by friends and colleagues in SLLC as a kind, calm leader who inspired others in their work.

Mary Ellen Scullen, director of SLLC, worked alongside Clough for 25 years. “Of all the extraordinary contributions she made to SLLC throughout her career, perhaps none was more important than the kindness, compassion, and humanity she freely shared through her ordinary and everyday interactions with each of us,” Scullen said.

Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Elisa Gironzetti called Clough a “role model.”

“She made everything look easy and effortless, and was always ready to help find a solution,” she said.

Born on August 12, 1959, in Massachusetts, Clough attended Williams College where she studied French literature. She received a masters in linguistics at UMD in 1989.  

Her published translations include Pierre Bourdieu’s major sociology text “The State Nobility: Elite Schools in the Field of Power.” She spent time in the south of France, and conducted an oral history of language and culture in the village of Aniane.

At UMD, she won two Faculty Mentor Awards in 2005 and 2006, which honor outstanding instructors who leave a lasting impact on their student’s academic achievements.

Charlotte Joublot Ferré, Ph.D. student and graduate assistant in the Department of French, said Clough provided a “warm welcome” and “listening ear” when she first arrived at UMD.

“She always took the time to sit down and make it clear that she was listening. We discovered during our conversations that we shared an interest in the South of France. And being the thoughtful person that she was, one day, she lent me Peter Mayle’s ‘A Year in Provence.’”

In her free time, Clough enjoyed writing poetry. Carol Mossman, professor emerita of French, said, “Lauretta was gifted with a remarkable sensitivity to language and was spare in its usage, always.”

In honor of Clough’s legacy, the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures will hold an annual poetry reading and speaker series and rename a community room after her.

“It will be a different place without her extraordinary memory and her way with people,” said Mehl Penrose, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese. “But I think she would want us to figure it out on our own and use our collective memory. And I know we can.”

A celebration of life will be held on October 29, 2023, at the Glenview Mansion, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851.