Remembering Joanne Krugh
I first met Joanne Krugh in April 2014 when I interviewed for the role of Provost at Juniata College. Serving as the administrative manager in the office of the provost, she was a member of the search committee that hired me. Her institutional knowledge and the respect she commanded from the rest of the committee was apparent from the outset. It was aweinspiring and frankly, a bit intimidating. What was less clear was her irrepressible sense of humor. But once I arrived on campus that July, she welcomed me with open arms and a powerful laugh that made me enjoy being at work more than I could have imagined.
Joanne served Juniata capably and loyally for over 30 years. Her distinctive laugh and her take-charge style endeared her to people throughout her career. She worked for seven provosts and with hundreds of faculty and staff. She was a conscientious supervisor to her team of Educational Services Assistants. Her impact on their Juniata education was profound and lasting.
Joanne was larger than life. She embodied the magic of Juniata. She was generous, tough, kind, funny, and dedicated. She understood the power of community and she worked hard to sustain it whether it was through her bottomless bowl of candy, the singing of gospel tunes at full volume, or the genuine way she would ask people about their families.
She inspired nicknames because she made everyone feel welcome and special. To some, she was JK and to others JKrugh or Kruzer. To me, she was Jo-annie. She provided wisdom, counsel, and perspective each and every day. She knew when to diffuse with humor, when to offer a candid opinion, and when to offer a distraction. She took care of everyone in her orbit in her inimitable way. She didn’t have too many words during the tough times—she had just a few and exactly the right ones.
When I think of Joanne, I think of her organizing a campus event. She was in her element organizing commencement, baccalaureate, fall convocation, spring awards, CampusFest, or the annual faculty retirement dinner. She made it look so effortless because she held infinite details in her memory; she knew when to delegate and to whom. Joanne’s love of Juniata was on display at every one of these festive and significant occasions.
I learned so much from her…about Juniata to be sure but also about family, loyalty, friendship, humor, and joy. I feel quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and I was honored to be her friend. She will be missed but never forgotten given the indelible imprint she has left on this place.
—Lauren Bowen, Provost
Joanne Louise (Smith) Krugh, 73, of Camp Hill, died on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, after a brief illness.
Born in Lewistown, Pa., on Aug. 6, 1948, she was the daughter of Freeda Louella (Baker) Smith and Charles Jacob Smith. She was a graduate of Chief Logan High School.
Surviving are her loving husband of 49 years, Otto Wayne Krugh; her son, Andrew Krugh ’96 and wife, Halima; daughter, Catharine Krugh ’98; her grandchildren, Anastasia Krugh and Nadia Krugh; her sisters Linda Smith and Maxine (Smith) Rudy and husband David Rudy; and her niece Jennifer (Rudy) Colwell and husband James Colwell.
Joanne’s great joy was her family, especially her granddaughters, who love her creative, crazy, wild spirit. Joanne was fueled by her passion for music.
Joanne served as Assistant to the Provost at Juniata College, Huntingdon for 32 years. After her retirement, in honor of her impact on the college community, Juniata established the Joanne Krugh Award for Exceptional Service to annually recognize an administrator or staff member whose body of work at Juniata demonstrates exceptional ability, accomplishment, and commitment to the campus community.
Joanne was a member of Stone Church of the Brethren, Huntingdon, where she attended for 27 years, played piano and sang in the choir.
Her favorite travel destination was Cape May, N.J., where she could spend time with family, lay on the beach, and enjoy the historic Victorian architecture.