Dear Prof. Leslie, Stephanie just let me know you passed away. The last time I talked to you over the phone was Dec 2024. You and Sheila invited me to come over for a visit, and my plan was taking my wife (Christine) and our baby (Alyssa) there to see you this summer. I am sorry I could not make it happen.

I still remember Stephanie asked me to talk to you as in my first year (2007) at University of Georgia Institute of Higher Education, I did not have an idea what I would do for my dissertation. I came to you to ask for advice, and since then you would make sure I stayed on track until I graduated in May 2011. When I was working on my dissertation, you told me you would expect me to write one (just one) page of the dissertation each day and send it to you the next morning so that you could go over it and give me feedback. “Just one page each day.” That way, you kept me on track for graduation. I can never forget the feedback I got from you. Not only you gave me feedback on professional/technical aspects of the dissertation, but you also went many extra miles to provide me feedback on how to express things/how to write better in English. I still remember I upset you from time to time as I tended to overuse conjunctive adverbs. You showed me how to work on this issue and make my writing flow much better. Thank you, Prof. Leslie! These things you did to help me back then would help me tremendously later on in my career.

When I was near graduation (2011), you asked me if I wanted to look for a job and stay in the US. I said Yes. I applied for a position at the University of Alabama; you talked to the hiring manager to give me a reference; and I got the job. Later on, the hiring manager told me that they decided to offer me the position because of the stellar reference you gave me. I did not know it until one year later. This is what they told me and I still remember it. “If you take Khoi in, you won’t be disappointed.” I truly appreciated your help in securing the job. It was critical to me as I just graduated and my H1B was still work-in-progress. Without your help, things would have been much harder for me, and my life could have turned in another direction.

I think I was the last doctoral student you supervised. I moved quite often after I graduated in 2011, almost once every two years. I would fondly read the Xmas newsletters that you sent to family members, friends, and ex-students around Dec every year. The last newsletter I received was the one you sent in 2023. I met with Stephanie at AIR conference in 2024 and she let me know you were not doing well. I had a chance to talk to you over the phone later in 2024. You did not remember much when I was telling you the time I worked under your tutelage at UGA IHE. However, your sense of humor and the calm and friendly personality were still there intact.

I thank you for everything you did for me. I would not have been able to achieve what I have in life without your unconditional mentoring, support, and encouragement. My Dad and you are among the people that I look up to so that I can become a better person in life.

I am sorry I could not meet you before you were gone. Please rest in peace, Prof. Leslie.