Bernadette Marie Palombo

SHREVEPORT, LA- Bernadette Marie Jones-Palombo, professor of Criminal Justice and, recently, director of General Studies at LSU in Shreveport, entered eternal rest and peace on April 11, 2015, at her home in Shreveport, La., following a lengthy battle with multiple forms of cancer. A celebration of her remarkable life will be held on Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home's Marshall Street Chapel, Deacon Homer Tucker of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, officiating. Dr. Jones-Palombo was born on August 10, 1949, to Elva Clementine and Gilbert Francis Jones of Pittsburgh, Pa., and was one of five children. Her siblings include Gilbert Francis Jr., Lawrence, and James of Pittsburgh, and David of Pompano Beach, Fla. She married Michael Anthony Palombo and they had one child, Dominic, her beloved "Domenico," and their spirits are now reunited. Her two grandsons, Nino and Nico, of Chevy Chase, MD, remain to carry the family legacy. Her dying wish, which was unfulfilled, was to see her grandchildren and let them know of her great love for them. Dr. Jones-Palombo graduated from Domenec High School in Pittsburgh and earned a bachelor's degree in Political Studies from Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif. She received her master's degree in Criminal Justice from the Center for Politics and Economics at Claremont University and received a Ph.D. in Political Sciences from the same center at Claremont. She arrived at LSUS in 1995 to lead a prestigious grant on Community Oriented Policing and received her 20-year pin shortly before her death. Although she was noted for community policing, her research was eclectic, including teaching evaluations, gang theory and white collar crime, to name only a few. Throughout her career she was dedicated not only to her academic field but to two professional organizations, the Academy of Community Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology. She was a member of Alpha Phi Sigma national criminal justice honor society. Her commitment to professional organizations was reflected in the number of students she encouraged to participate in them, particularly Lambda Sigma Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma at LSUS. Interested and involved in her community, Dr. Jones-Palombo was proud of her membership in League of Women Voters, an organization she served as Louisiana vice president from 2003 to 2007. For seven years, Dr. Jones-Palombo served as the chairman of the Department of History and Social Science (2008-2014), working during difficult economic times to assure quality educational resources for the students in the department. An accomplished and devoted educator, she penned numerous articles and was author, editor or co-editor of several books: "Academic Professionalism in Law Enforcement," (which was one of the initial studies of gender in law enforcement), "Provision of the Right to Counsel in Caddo Parish," and "Wicked Shreveport." In 2004, Dr, Jones-Palombo was named to Who's Who Among American Teachers. This is a testament to her unswerving dedication to students and to her profession. Her life as an educator assures that, although she is no longer here, her legacy remains in all whom she influenced. An optimistic spirit and focus on the future allowed Bernadette Jones-Palombo to live far beyond what was expected and gave her a sense of hope. That optimism was reflected by her request to be placed on this summer's teaching schedule at LSUS. A nurturer by nature with a kind a loving heart, she leaves a host of friends and students who join her family in mourning her passing. The family thanks Dr. Marianne Fisher-Giorlando of St. Francisville, and Kim Jensen, a friend and colleague at LSUS, and Willis-Knighton Hospice nurse, Tristy, as well as her physician, Dr. Chip McDonald. The Bernadette Jones-Palombo Scholarship has been established at LSUS in her memory and would be a fitting option for those who prefer to make a contribution. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, said, "A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others." The light and legacy of Dr. Jones-Palombo will continue to shine for years to come.