Along with her husband, Norman Segalowitz, professor in Concordia’s Department of Psychology, Beth was renowned for her warmth and hospitality to faculty, staff, and students, especially those who were far from home. As Patsy Lightbown, a former colleague and professor emerita, noted, “No appreciation of Beth could overlook her generous hospitality and her spectacular culinary skills.” Although hosting legendary parties was Beth’s delight, her passion was to educate and do research with language teachers and language learners.
Prior to joining Concordia’s TESL Centre (since integrated with the Department of Education) as an assistant professor in Applied Linguistics in 1992, Beth had an extensive career teaching learners of English. She also gained wide experience developing course materials, textbooks, and entire language learning or teaching programs, particularly in places with fewer resources and access to information.
Her work took her to China in the 1980s, Cuba and South Africa in the 1990s, and Labrador in the last five years. Her course materials and syllabi were founded in a deep and firsthand knowledge of language learning and teaching, and she made instant connections with the many language teachers she met in her travels.