Beverly Whitaker Long Chapin passed peacefully in her sleep on February 5, 2022 in Pittsboro, NC. The only daughter of Earl and Bernice Whitaker, Beverly was born on July 16, 1936, in Memphis, TN, and spent her childhood in Harrisburg, Arkansas. She was predeceased by both parents; her only sibling, Dr. John Whitaker; and two spouses. She is survived by her two nieces, Amy and Stacey; nephew, Jeff; and grandsons, Billy, Jack, Liv, and Sam.
In 1976, Beverly married William (Bill) Long of Greencastle, Indiana. His son William and daughter Lisa are both deceased. After Bill’s death, Beverly married Hugh Chapin and moved to Galloway Ridge, a retirement community that Hugh was instrumental in developing. Hugh’s family includes two sons, Stewart and Tom.
Beverly earned a B.A. in speech and drama at Hendrix College in Arkansas, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. Dr. Chapin’s career included stints teaching drama, speech, and English, as well as directing stage productions and supervising student theses and dissertations. Her professional journey began at Newport High School in Arkansas, next was Texas State University in San Marcos, then the University of Texas in Austin, and finally, in 1978, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Dr. Chapin held a professorship in Communication and served as Department Chair for 7 years. Dr. Chapin’s teachings were reflected in textbooks, articles, book reviews, stage productions, and conferences. She was the founding Editor of Literature in Performance (now called Text and Performance Quarterly), President of the Southern States Speech Communication Organization, and later was elected President of the National Communication Association. Dr. Chapin was a leader of many professional groups and the recipient of many honors including the prestigious UNC awards: Kenan Professorship, the Thomas Jefferson University Award, and The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee. Beverly was a highly respected and much-loved teacher and mentor. She had a profound influence on the field of performance studies, through her writings, performances, and lectures, but most importantly, through her many students.
Beverly played just as hard as she worked. She was a consummate hostess and liked nothing better than having lively and beautiful dinner parties with friends and family. Her big love was theatre, perhaps sparked when she was ten and producing shows in her parents’ garage. Beverly enjoyed traveling and went on many international trips, visiting countless museums. The island of Greece was her favorite. Beverly loved poetry and brought that appreciation and enjoyment not only to her students, but also to the residents of Galloway Ridge, where poetry readings are now a part of life.
For memorial contributions, please consider Chapel In the Pines (Pittsboro, NC), First University Methodist Church (Chapel Hill, NC), Hendrix College (Conway, AR), and the Special Events Program at Galloway Ridge.