Associate Professor of Sociology April Brayfield died Dec. 13 of cancer. 

Brayfield began working at Tulane in 1992 and accomplished much during her time at the university, including developing a course in pedagogy to prepare graduate students to become teachers, reforming the undergraduate sociology curriculum and developing the accreditation standards for the sociology department.

Brayfield’s peers and students said she was a caring and devoted professor.

“Professor Brayfield was one of our most valued faculty members,” sociology department Chair Carl Bankston said. “She was known for her involvement with students, and for caring a great deal about teaching and about the well-being of her students.”

Brayfield won recognition for her excellence in teaching many times over. She won the President’s Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Tulane’s top teaching award, in 2004, among many other honors.

“She was, without question, the most award-winning teacher at our university,” Bankston said. 

In addition to teaching, Brayfield served as a board member on the Tulane University Women’s Association and was the founder of Crafty Ladies, a women’s service organization.

A memorial service for students and faculty will take place at 3 p.m. Friday in the Rogers Memorial Chapel.