CHS to Remember Beloved Professor with Memorial on April 4
Mary Jo Cooley-Hidecker passed away Feb. 11
By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director
Nearly every morning, Kim West was there when she came through the door.
She would walk through the entry to the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Academic Clinic, and she would smile, probably thinking about how she was going to help a student in some way. Then the pair would probably share a laugh.
Because that was the essence of Dr. Mary Jo Cooley-Hidecker, West said. That personality. And that want to help others.
“I love how she is always excited to show me her newest 3D art and explain to me how it will help a child’s life,” said West, patient relations assistant in CSD. “She always seems to have a solution to any problem that I have or a person that I should get in touch with. She has a true love for helping, educating and making our world a better place.”
On Feb. 11, Dr. Mary Jo Cooley-Hidecker, PhD, MA, MS, CCC-A/SLP, passed away, surrounded by family members at the Baptist Health Hospital in Lexington. She left a legacy, as well as a gaping hole in a department that appreciated her numerous talents and abilities. At just 66 years old, Cooley-Hidecker achieved more than most academics in her field.
An Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) and in the Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral Program (RHB) in the College of Health Sciences, Cooley-Hidecker had training as a speech-language pathologist, audiologist and epidemiologist. Her clinical experience included assisting children and adults with complex communication disorders and this led her into clinical research.
Cooley-Hidecker received her PhD in Audiology and Speech Sciences with an emphasis in family science from Michigan State University, Lansing. She was an NIH F31 predoctoral fellow and she held an NIH F32 Postdoctoral fellowship in communication disorders epidemiology, resulting in a master’s degree in epidemiology.
At the University of Kentucky, Cooley-Hidecker served as the Director of the All About Communication (AAC) Lab; the long-term goal of her program of research was to improve family-centered, evidence-based practice in those with severe disabilities. Her specific research emphasis was on cerebral palsy, autism, hearing loss and Parkinson's disease. Her research interests included the relationship among effective treatment outcomes and individual and family factors, as well as the use of augmentative and alternative communication.
She also co-founded the UK Rehab Maker Space with physical therapy professor Dr. Patrick Kitzman. With interested faculty and students, they were using 3D printing, laser engraving & cutting (GlowForge), soldering, and other makerspace tools to craft solutions for individuals with disabilities.
Many of the quotes featured in this piece were gathered in an outpouring of love and posted to an online site for family while Cooley-Hidecker was in the hospital and nearing the end of her life. Some of them were even read aloud to her.
“It was obvious in the brief time that I knew her before retiring that she is a wonderfully talented and dedicated teacher and researcher,” said Dr. Joe Stemple, emeritus faculty in the Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program. “Hers is a legacy of students who are better clinicians for having her as a mentor. I pray for peace and comfort for her family at this difficult time.”
Cooley-Hidecker was known to enjoy mentoring high school students, all the way to doctoral students, of any major. She always taught them to continue asking ‘Why?’
She led the development and ongoing research on the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) which has been translated into more than 20 languages. And she was part of the interdisciplinary research team developing the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF:SC).
In 2024, she was inducted as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow at that year’s Forum of the National Academies of Practice (NAP). The honor recognizes Cooley-Hidecker’s scholarship, research and teaching, which supports interprofessional practices.
Growing up in Iowa, she wanted to be an English teacher, but in high school, Cooley-Hidecker’s guidance counselor suggested she shadow a speech-language pathologist. She grew interested, and changed her academic path. Eventually, she would also fall in love with audiology, and she would go on to enroll as a first-generation college student.
Hired at UK during the pandemic, she revealed in an interview that it was because of those humble beginnings that she was especially excited to work with first-generation students in rural Kentucky.
“I love watching students’ faces light up when they master important knowledge and skills,” she said. “As a dually certified speech-language pathologist and audiologist, I love to talk with students about the wide range of career opportunities and settings that their CSD degrees open for them. I could see the great opportunities to expand my research and teaching.”
Faculty, staff and students will get the opportunity to honor her memory again during a special ceremony at 3 p.m., April 4 in CTW 127.
Anne Olson, PhD, CCC/A, Audiologist and CSD department chair, also posted her memories to the special online group.
“Just thank you for being you and living by your core values,” Olson said. “I will never forget your selflessness and willingness to put others first. This is a rare gift. You care for all of those around you, even those without a voice. Your uncanny ability to connect people has been remarkable, because you saw potential relationships that many of us never did. To me, this has been the genius of your creative spirit. Your calm demeanor has been a reassuring presence for all of us. Regardless of the situation, you were long on patience and level-headed at all times. So, MJ, thank you for being the kind, good-natured, selfless person that you are. Much love and prayers for all.”
Mary Jo is survived by her husband of 27 years, Jeff of Lexington; daughters: Ayla of Cheyenne, Wyoming and Mylanie of Laramie, Wyoming; siblings: Mike (Dawn) Cooley of Orient, Iowa; Jane Mack of Burlington, Iowa; Paul Cooley of Clarinda, Iowa; brother-in-law, Douglas (Terri) Hidecker of Leroy, Michigan; sister-in-law, Keitha (David) Harris of Edwards, Missouri; nieces and nephews: Anne (John) Goebel, Chad (Emily) Cooley, Scott (Meghan) Cooley, Kyle (Marie) Cooley, Michael (Crystal) Cooley, Dawna (Heath) Mitchell, Patrick Cooley, Mark Cooley, Stephanie (Brent) Giles, Tamara (Tim) Mullen, Thomas (Shay) Kibbe, Sarah Mack, Ashle (Cliff) Holmes, Linnette (Jeff) Hidecker-Porter, Kristy (Rick) Mann, Corey (Chastidy) Perez, Jeff Perez; twenty-six great nieces and nephews.
“I’m grateful for her ever-present kindness and how she thoughtfully thinks through complex problems, helping me arrive at a more fair and just conclusion of my own,” said Richard Andreatta, PhD, ASHA Fellow and CSD Professor. “I’m so glad you decided to come to UK and be a part of our family. Working with you is a distinct honor; I’m all the more richer to call you my friend.”
“Mary Jo liked to say that she and I shared one brain — and I always wished that were true and that I had a brain as thoughtful, expansive, creative, kind and humble as hers,” said Judy Page, PhD, CCC-SLP, FASHA, FNAP and CSD associate professor. “Watching her recruit, inspire and mentor students was amazing. I will miss my colleague, my collaborator, my friend, and the better half of my brain. My love and prayers with Mary Jo and those who love her.”
Scott Lephart, PhD and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, said Cooley-Hidecker and her accomplishments will not be forgotten.
“Here in the College of Health Sciences, we are a family,” Lephart said. “And when you lose someone in your family, you must rally. Yes, this is a time of mourning, but it is also a time to celebrate all that Dr. Cooley-Hidecker was able to do. For the lives she touched, for the good she was able to achieve, she made us a better College, University, community and Commonwealth. For that, we cannot thank her enough. But what we can do is this: We can take her research, we can take her attitude toward students, we can take her curiosity, and we can take her vision and move forward, using these ideals as a framework to continue to better our classes, our patients and ourselves. Thank you so much to Dr. Mary Jo, from all of us here in CHS.”