Prof. Cynthia Jean Brabson

In Memoriam: Prof. Cynthia Jean Brabson 

Surrounded by her husband, Bennet, her son, Steven and her grandson, Bristol, Professor Emeritus, Cynthia Brabson died on October 24, 2026, a sunny Saturday morning in Bloomington, Indiana. She was 87 years old. 

The daughter of Harold F. and Jean (MacCracken) Stevens, Cynthia was born in New York City on September 23, 1939, and began her education in public schools in Pelham, New York. She made the courageous decision to spend the last three years of high school at Northfield School for Girls, a school founded by the evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody in Northfield, Massachusetts. These years were life changing. Cynthia took leadership roles becoming class president in her senior year. As a practicum for her junior year course in religion, she taught Sunday School to nearby rural churches. Her Christian Education mission continued throughout her life. 

Cynthia’s first college year at Wheaton (Massachusetts) was followed by three years and a BA in Psychology from Carleton College in 1961. It was at Carleton that she met her future husband, Bennet. Cynthia completed a MS.ED in Early Childhood Education at Wheelock College the following year and began her career as an elementary teacher in the Boston area. Three years later Cynthia completed a M.ED in Deaf Education at Boston University, achieving certification in three areas of special education. 

After a year in Padua, Italy, Cynthia moved with husband, Bennet, and daughter, Julia, to Bloomington, Indiana. Son, Steven was born in 1969, and soon thereafter Cynthia became an Education Supervisor in the IU Speech & Hearing Center. She went on to teach elementary education in Bloomington and special education in Brown County. In 1989 Cynthia completed her Ph.D. in the IU Department of Education with a degree in Reading and Writing Theory. 

After finishing her Ph.D. Cynthia took a position at Hanover College, receiving tenure there in 1996 as an Associate Professor. Following a sabbatical year as a Visiting Professor at the University of East Anglia in the UK, Cynthia returned to Indiana University as an Adjunct Professor in the school of Education. During her career, she designed and taught methods courses relating to reading and language arts, including courses for learning disabled and mildly mentally handicapped students. While supervising students, she also took initiative in the Indiana Rural Literacy Initiative. Cynthia was also a member of the International Reading Association and of the National Council of Teachers of English.

For the past 50 years, Cynthia has been an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington. She served in several lay leadership roles including the Vestry and Christian Education. While on the Vestry she was selected to serve as People’s Warden. Cynthia also participated in the intellectual life of the Episcopal Church as a member of the national Episcopal Guild of Scholars. 

A guiding theme throughout Cynthia’s life was appreciation for and education of children. They were the focus of her passion and energy. She integrated her career as a teacher and professor of education with a life long dedication to Sunday School teaching and as a docent for young children at the Indiana University Eskenazi Museum in Bloomington. Over the years, many of these children, now grown, have returned to express their deep gratitude for her kindness, her guidance, and her compassion – often viewing her as “a second mother.” They and we will miss her greatly.