It is with sadness that the Board of the Pennsylvania College English Association reports that Dr. Itzi Metzli, also known as Enrique Lopez Jr., 68, associate professor of English at Slippery Rock University and PCEA Board Member, lost his battle with cancer on May 1, 2020. A native of Texas, he graduated from McAllen High School in 1970 before receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Ph.D. in English from Ohio State in 1998, with a focus on Freshman Composition, American Literature, and Chicano/a Literature. Prior to his work at Slippery Rock, Meztli served as the executive director of the Greater Montopolis Corporation in Austin, Texas.
He arrived at SRU in 2003, and was active in the local community, including serving on the Slippery Rock Borough Council. Always sounding a strong voice of advocacy for students, particularly students of color, he had particular dedication to fighting bigotry, oppression, and the ignorance that enables such prejudice. His loss is a loss for all of us, particularly in this time of social distancing. To commemorate Dr. Metzli’s service to the University, to his students, and to his colleagues, we will remember him and his work with scholarship and reflection in PCEA’s 2022 Annual Conference theme.
PCEA would like to thank Slippery Rock University and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Dan Bauer, for contributing to the content of this remembrance.
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