We often turned to Joan Duffy to write the obituaries of noted campus folks, past and present. She enjoyed digging into people’s history, pulling out interesting parts of their lives that people would want or need to know.

When I got word that Joan gently passed away early last night, I thought about what she would want people to know about her.

First and foremost, she loved her family. Just this week, she was planning her annual holiday trip to Florida where her father and brother live. She asked me Monday for an extra day off so she could leave a little earlier.

She cherished her friends, many of them media cronies, but more recent friends at UALR. It was no wonder she embraced Facebook to keep them close.

Her passion was journalism, from her college days as a newspaper editor to the height of her career as a political correspondent at the Arkansas State Capitol.

She was an avid storyteller; we could listen to her tales of the 60s and Whitewater and the Arkansas legislature all day if we had time.

Friends of Joan: we need your help. Share with us your stories and other things Joan would want us to know.