Correction: Christine Koenig was orginally described as partner in an earlier version of the story but she is actually Wendy Koenigs’ wife
Wendy Koenig, an influential art history professor and curriculum chair at Long Beach City College, died yesterday at 56.
After an eight-month long battle with colon cancer, Koenig left behind her wife, Christine Badowski Koenig, and her colleagues who shared her passion of teaching and education.
Koenig was tight lipped about her illness and many of her friends and faculty were shocked by her death, as they stated that she had reported things looking up for her in her last days.
Koenig did not let her illness deter her from her passion and dedication to the students. She kept up with a robust worklife and led as an exemplary professor to the teachers around her.
During the time she served as the school’s curriculum chair, Koenig created academic guides for various programs at the college and fine-tuned existing educational plans.
She was also the head of the LGBTQIA task force where she educated faculty on proper pronouns to use with students and advocated for gender neutral restrooms.
“Nothing was ever punitive for her; it was always to educate and help somebody be better,” said Seija Rohkea, a visual and media arts instructor. “She was my boss…you have fear of your boss but she was never like that,” Rohkea said.
In her last days, Koenig even aided in getting Open Educational Resources for art history classes so students could have access to free textbooks and curriculum materials.
Eli Daughdrill, the head of the visual and media arts department, remembers his colleague in an undeniably positive light saying, “I remember her as a tireless worker who put the college first… (she) represented everything that’s good about the community college.”
When she was diagnosed in February of this year, Koenig used both her health insurance provided by the college and a Gofundme account to fund her chemotherapy and medical expenses.
“For a while, the numbers were looking good. There was a chance that she could beat this thing. It’s just a reminder of how awful cancer is,” said art professor Karen Roberts.
Roberts highlighted the flaws she sees within the American healthcare system. “It’s so crazy to think about what they went through. I mean it’s a broken healthcare system. We’re all going to have to deal with it sooner or later. Nobody gets out of here alive,” she said.
“[Koenig] was full-time, she had insurance. One insurance policy is not enough,” Roberts said in addition.
Funeral services are unknown at the time of writing but The Viking will release updates as they come.