Melanie Deffendall, Associate Professor, Passes from COVID-19

April 26, 2020

The college has learned of the passing of our esteemed and beloved colleague, Melanie Deffendall, on Saturday afternoon, April 25. She had been hospitalized in New Orleans for several weeks, struggling against COVID-19.

Deffendall—“Mel” to her many friends and associates—was an Associate Professor of Sociology and College and Career Success Skills. She was the founder and director of the Irma Thomas Center for WISE Women at Delgado.

Mel’s career at Delgado began in September 1996. Over the years, she influenced the lives of many Delgado students, especially first-generation students. After the Hurricane Katrina disaster, she worked to help restore the college and bring students back.

In 2008, she established the Irma Thomas Center for WISE Women as a safe haven. WISE is an acronym for “Women in search of excellence.” The center empowers women to help fulfill their academic, personal and professional potential. Its namesake, Irma Thomas, is known to generations of New Orleans residents as a cultural icon, and as a role model for working women seeking to improve their lives through education and career opportunity.

Mel’s work in support of students and social justice earned her the admiration and respect of her colleagues and the entire Delgado community. She was honored with the Seymour Weiss Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017.

A profile of Mel appeared in the New Orleans Advocate in 2015. Based on a Story Corps interview by her son Benjamin, it relates the long history of her family in New Orleans and details her commitment to higher education and social progress.

A statement from Mel’s sons, Benjamin and Matthew, follows:

With broken hearts and grateful spirits, we announce the passing of our beloved mom, Melanie Deffendall, on Saturday, April 25 at University Medical Center in New Orleans following her battle with COVID-19. She was a teacher, mentor, colleague, advocate, advisor, and friend to so many throughout her 24 years as a member of the Delgado Community College family. Thank you for uplifting us with your prayers and outpouring of support over the past month. As you told us about the difference she made in your world, we were comforted to know that you saw her like we did, as a warrior for social justice, a champion for equity and a friend to anyone in need. Her legacy lives on in the Irma Thomas Center for WISE Women, which she founded. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in her memory to the center.  Mel was a tireless advocate for women and her life was a testament of her strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. Eat a brownie in her honor, help someone in need, and then tell them Ms. Mel said so.—Benjamin and Matthew Deffendall, sons.

Others in the Delgado community are remembering Mel today:

We have lost a great one. She was a staunch supporter of Delgado Community College and an absolute advocate for our students. In my 20 years of working at the college, I have known Melanie well, and I had the pleasure to work with her on numerous initiatives and projects.  Looking back, I can say that every initiative we worked on was student centered.  Melanie was an advocate for our students, and this was evident in not only what she said but what she did: the creation of the Women's Center, a place with the sole purpose of being a safe haven and a resource for women; and the development of the student success course, initially created to provide first generation students with the tools they needed to navigate and be successful in college. There are endless initiatives and stories to tell about this selfless woman who poured so much of herself into Delgado and our students.  Melanie will truly be missed. Her work and her legacy will live on.—Larissa Littleton-Steib, Delgado Chancellor.

Melanie was a wonderful, giving person who always worked to inspire her students. Her encouragement and generous spirit helped many young women and men continue their education and make themselves better people. If she didn't have it, she would help you find it...that's just who she was. Her honesty, advice, and work in the W.I.S.E. Center helped many young people get on the right way. She'll be greatly missed. - Irma Thomas, Delgado graduate, Grammy Award winner, and namesake of Delgado's Irma Thomas Center for W.I.S.E. Women.

Our Delgado family is very sorry to learn of Melanie’s passing. She could relate to students in an amazing way by encouraging them to strive for their best. Her door was always open to help. Her student-centered legacy will live on in the many lives she’s touched. - Harold Gaspard, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Allied Health Dean.

This is a tremendous loss for our division and the college. Melanie Deffendall was a tireless advocate for our students both in and out of the classroom. She loved teaching, she loved our students, and she loved Delgado Community College. Her days were filled making sure our students would succeed and build better lives. Her acts of kindness are legendary. She provided bus tokens to students in need. She made free HIV testing available to our entire Delgado Community. She kept an overflowing bowl of condoms out, front and center, free for all. She bought books for students and kept the Center stocked with school supplies. These large and small acts of kindness changed many lives. We are all better because of Melanie Deffendall. She will be greatly missed. Please keep her family in your thoughts. —Emily Cosper, Communication Division Dean.

Ms. Deffendall was my mentor when I was a student. She is the reason that I teach at the College today. She is irreplaceable. She will be missed and never forgotten. Thank you, Ms. Deffendall for enriching my life and the lives of so many others. - Dee Shedrick, Colleague and former student.

For more about Melanie Deffendall, visit the WISE Women's Center online.