Visitation at Funeral Home
Obituary of Debra Antionette Swoboda
Debra Antionette Swoboda
18 April 1955
9 January 2025
York College Mourns the Loss of Professor Emerita Debra Swoboda
With deep sadness, the Department of Behavioral Sciences announces that our colleague, Debra Swoboda, professor emerita, passed away on January 9 after a brief illness.
Deb joined the York faculty in 2003. From the start, Deb was an active participant in campus life and took on leadership roles on a number of committees and campus initiatives, including the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee, Writing Across the Curriculum, General Education, and Assessment. She led the development of the Center for Teaching and Learning and served as director for seven years. Deb was on the Steering Committee for Middle States. She served as department chair from 2018 until her retirement last year.
Deb’s research focused on two passionate interests: disability studies and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She published numerous articles and book chapters in both these areas. She was a dedicated teacher, devoted to promoting high academic standards and student success. She was a generous colleague, sharing her extensive knowledge and expertise on the latest developments in the field of pedagogy.
In her “spare time,” Deb was an avid gardener and a fabulous cook. We looked forward to her delicious contributions to the annual holiday potluck. She and husband, Steve Graham, were world travelers, having visited five continents. Most importantly, she was a supportive friend, readily stepping in to help her colleagues.
We will miss her wry sense of humor, her generosity, her hand-rolled sushi, and her dedication to students and colleagues.
In addition to her husband, Steve Graham, Deb is survived by her mother, Joann Swoboda, and her sisters Diane, Lisa, and Tonya. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, April 26, with more details to follow. Condolences may be sent to Steve Graham, 44 Utterby Road, Malverne, NY 11565.
Debra has had an asteroid named after her:
From the Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) Bull. 5, #3
To see the obituary below, copy and paste the link below into a browser
The asteroid’s name is: (20059) Debswoboda = 1993 OY9
Debra Antoinette Swoboda (1955–2025) was an American academic who specialized in studies related to teaching, learning and disabilities. In 21 years at York College she played many roles including Department Chair. She helped establish one of the first graduate student unions at Stony Brook where she developed lifelong relationships, including her spouse.
To see the image below, go to https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=20059&view=VOP
Debra Swoboda (1955 – 2025):
Debra was born on 18 April, 1955, in Sioux City Iowa. She attended public school, graduating from Sioux City West High School in 1973. She attended the University of Iowa for one year, where she met her lifelong friends David Gregory, Mary Gregory, Sue Bakker (nee Hyde), and Rich Levy. After a brief stint at Concordia College in St. Paul, MN, she moved east to attend the State University of New York at Stony Brook (now the University at Stony Brook), receiving her B.A. in Sociology in 1979, an M.A. in Social Psychology in 1982, and a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1992. It was during this time (1987) she met her future spouse, Steven Graham, during a pick-up softball game. Debra followed Steven to jobs in St. Louis (Washington University, where they married in 1992) and Oklahoma State University. In 1998 they moved back east, where Debra was the Director for Students with Disabilities from 1999-2003. She ultimately landed her dream job as an assistant professor at York College (part of the City University of New York system) in the department of Behavioral Sciences. She was promoted to associate professor in 2008 and to full professor in 2016. Debra played a major role in a number of college-wide reform and general education committees. She capped her career by serving as department chair from 2018 to her retirement in 2024.
One of her passions was travel. Over 10 years she visited 17 countries on five continents, with a 2012 trip to South Africa among the most memorable (and the occasion of her 20th wedding anniversary), as well as a visit to her ancestral homelands, Ireland and the Czech Republic. She was also an amazing cook and avid gardener. Debra is survived by her spouse of 32 years, Steven Graham, her mother, Joann Swoboda, and her sisters Diane, Lisa, and Tonya.
Debra’s Memorial service will be held on Saturday, 26 April, from 11 am to 2 pm at Perry Funeral Home, 118 Union Ave, Lynbrook, NY. From 11 am to 12:30 pm we will meet and reminisce; testimonials will start at 12:30 pm. As many of you know, Debra donated her body to Stony Brook Medical School. However, her (eventual) cremation urn will be available, and you are encouraged to place a brief note, description of a memory, or a memento in the urn.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to World Central Kitchen (wck.org) or the North Shore Animal League (animalleague.org).
