Friends, family, remember slain UNR professor

RENO " Family, friends and colleagues remembered slain University of Nevada, Reno professor Judy Calder as an inspiring educator who was quick to smile and extend a hand to help others succeed.

About 150 people gathered Tuesday night at the Sarah Fleischmann Building on the UNR campus to remember Calder, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

"Judy's death was saddening and maddening to all of us," said Charlie Bullock, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. "None of us had time to say goodbye to Judy. We miss her greatly. She was a teacher and researcher and among the best."

The university announced the formation of the Judy Calder Memorial Scholarship. Bullock said it will be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student "who best exemplifies Judy's vibrant and enduring spirit."

Authorities say Calder, 64, was killed Aug. 18 at a Reno business, Imaging Technologies. Her body was found two weeks later along old Highway 93 in Elko County, about 375 miles northeast of Reno.

One of the owners of the Reno business was arrested Sept. 4 in Mexico. Mohamed Kalam Kamalaudeen, who went by the name Rickey Lee Barge, remains jailed there pending extradition.

During Tuesday's memorial service, Calder's husband, James, joked about his wife's penchant for writing everything down on yellow pads and "pulling all-nighters" on one work project or another.

"She had 8,000 yellow pads," he said to laughter from her colleagues. "Believe me, Judy's spirit is in this room tonight."

Calder's daughter, Kim, said her mother was an amazing woman who took on many roles.

"She was a teacher, a scholar, a colleague, a mother, a wife, a sister," she said. "She was a woman who believed life was full of endless possibilities, and she always happy to do whatever she could to help those around her achieve their dreams."

Meggin McIntosh, who taught education classes, said it was intimidating to have Judy Calder as a student but rewarding and incredibly fun to have her for a friend.

"She always wanted to be better, and she was always learning," McIntosh said.

But Calder was also human, she said, recalling the time she showed up an hour late for a time-management class McIntosh taught.