The admiration and adoration Ron Thomas holds for his late wife is undeniable. “We were lovers, friends, and husband and wife, for almost 25 years, and through thick and thin she was devoted to me and loved me. Never did I feel unloved and alone. She was my Austrian eagle. She soared, and because of her love for me she reached out for my hand and took me with her on her flight. She made me better than I could have ever been without her and I adored her,” he wrote in her obituary.
Born in Austria, Dr. Christa Zeller-Thomas was a master’s graduate of the University of Vienna, a Fulbright scholar, a Master’s graduate of the University of Tennessee and a doctoral graduate (English literature) of the University of Ottawa, where she studied and taught in the Department of English from 2005 to 2012. Dr. Zeller-Thomas received a prestigious Lise Meitner Fellowship and was an extensively published scholarly writer whose work had a global impact. She also wrote articles in widely-read print media and was a successful blogger. Her only weakness, her husband says, was her passion for the Bortolotti ice cream found in Vienna.
The couple met in the late 80s while they both worked at the Canadian embassy in Vienna. They would often meet after hours at different restaurants, cafés and parks. One notable meeting spot was the Empress Elizabeth Memorial in Volksgarten Park, close to the embassy. When they would later return to Vienna for annual trips, they would return to the statue as a romantic ritual.
After Ron went back to Ottawa, Christa joined him, the complications of their long-distance relationship having become too difficult. She arrived in Canada on Christmas Day in 1989 and, not long after, began her studies at the University of Ottawa. As it happened, Christa passed away at Christmas time 25 years later.
Ron created the Christa Zeller-Thomas Excellence in English Literature Prize and planned a legacy gift not only to keep her memory alive, but also to recognize students’ accomplishments, which was important for Christa. “In creating the award, I have ensured that each year her name will be spoken by bright young men and women in the English department of the University of Ottawa where she once taught. The more inquiring of them will investigate who Christa Zeller-Thomas actually was. And in this way, she, and her beautiful mind and humanity, will not be forgotten. She will be remembered,” he says.
A former student of Christa’s once asked her why she left Austria for Canada. The student shared this exchange with Ron and told him Christa’s answer, “It was a love story.” Ron says he created the award in her name for the same reason and adds: “It was a love story. I believe that the prize will cause her name to be spoken each year into the future, and that she and our love will not be lost to time.”
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