Beloved SMU Archivist Joan Gosnell died from complications with COVID-19 late Monday night.

In a memo sent from the Director of DeGolyer Library Rusell Martin, Gosnell called out sick last Sunday night after testing positive for COVID. Earlier this week on Tuesday, her husband, Craig Reynolds, messaged the university to inform them of her passing.

“She loved interacting with researchers and especially enjoyed mentoring students, from undergraduates to graduate school interns,” Martin said in the memo. “She will be sorely missed.”

Joan was known as a humorous, hard-working woman who was deeply connected to the Mustang family. She was known for saying, “I’m a New Yorker not a Southern Belle!” in reference to her roots.

Gosnell hand-touched every aspect of the SMU community. She had recently celebrated her 20th year at SMU, helped mark the university’s Centennial anniversary, helped steer the Towns and Gowns as Treasury Secretary, and worked as a project mentor for Voices of SMU. In 2021, Gosnell was voted Outstanding Staff Awards by the SMU Faculty Senate.

Gosnell joined SMU in 2004, where she was responsible for the transfer of the J.C. Penney archives from New York City to Plano, Texas, and finally, the university.

“She always was there to help, and now there is just no one who knew more than her about the campus or about J.C. Penney,” Library Operations Manager Terre Heydari said. “Everybody loved her.”

Gosnell was also an integral part of The Daily Campus’ reporting, aiding in several reports such as our Fall 2023 print edition, SMU Archives reveal a Painful Past, and What’s Behind the Doors of DeGolyer Library?

In an email, SMU announced that a memorial service would be held for her at a later date.