OHIO Linguistics mourns the passing of Marmo and Suharni Soemarmo

The Ohio University Linguistics Department honors the memory of Dr. Marmo Soemarmo and Professor Suharni Soemarmo.

Dr. Marmo Soemarmo and his wife, Suharni, came to Ohio University in 1971 after studying at UCLA. Marmo had a Ph.D. in theoretical linguistics but initially taught Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) in the Southeast Asian Studies program before teaching syntax and semantics, and CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) in the Linguistics program.  Suharni had an MA from UCLA and became the main instructor of Indonesian. At the time, Ohio University was the most international university in Ohio, and Marmo and Suharni played a significant role in further internationalizing the campus through their unique global perspectives.

Marmo went on to become chair of the Linguistics Department and to establish one of the first CALL programs. He retired in 2008. He was a renowned leader in the field of CALL and many graduate students were attracted to OHIO’s programs in linguistics because of his international reputation.

Professor Zinny Bond remembered how Marmo used his most favorite movie, “Casablanca,” in teaching his Syntax class.

“He was also a Trekkie of sorts, with a life-size cut-out of Mr. Spock standing in his office,” Bond said. “We drove to Columbus together any number of times where we visited a Star Trek memorabilia shop, and restaurants, and Asian grocery stores, of course.”

An inspiring professor who was dedicated to his students

Assistant Professor of Instruction Gaby Castaneda, who is also an alumna of the MA Applied Linguistics program, remembers what an inspiring professor Dr. Soemarmo was.

“He introduced me to technology while I was very afraid of using it back in 2002. He used to say: ‘I am not smart, I just read the manuals.’ I always thought he had a lot of patience to read all those manuals, but also, he was so patient with me as a student. He taught us how to incorporate language learning applications like ‘Hot Potatoes’ in our classes and how to code to make our own webpages. He introduced us to so many things related to CALL at a time when the discipline was new and a bit overwhelming. And he did all this while adding his wonderful sense of humor to his classes.  He is definitely missed!”

Professor of Linguistics Dr. Liang Tao remembered how much Marmo enjoyed technology and how “he used to drive to Columbus every weekend just to explore the electronics markets for possible new gadgets.”

Dr. Hiro Oshita, associate professor of linguistics and Japanese remembered Marmo always impressed him with his “always fit-in-shape" body.

“I once saw him running up the stairs in Gordy (I guess from the basement to the third floor) and wondered if I could do the same when I reached his age,” Oshita said. And Marmo was always keen to recruit students to join him in a game of volleyball.

Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Japanese Dr. Chris Thompson recalls how loyal Marmo was to his students. He traveled the world meeting up with our OHIO’s linguistics alumni, many of whom were international students like Miki Ueda, a Japanese TA.

“I don’t know how many times I went out to dinner with Miki and Marmo when Marmo was passing through Nagoya on his way to a technology conference or to give a paper at Nagoya University,” Thompson said. “He was always full of stories about our department and knew where our students ended up.  It was always fun to hear him talk about the ‘good old days!’”

Dr. David Bell, associate professor of linguistics was always struck by what a ‘man of the world’ Marmo was. He was always traveling the globe to conferences.

“I remember we were travelling together to a conference of Lesser Commonly Taught Languages,” Bell said. “We were having a glass of wine at the airport. I remarked how expensive the wine was. Marmo responded admonishingly: ‘David, you have to get out more.’”

An energetic and friendly teacher who built up OHIO's Indonesian program

Professor Suharni Soemarmo retired in 2005. Dr.  Liang Tao remembers Suharni as energetic and highly experienced in teaching Indonesian.

“She was very good at cooking, especially desserts. She also enjoyed gardening and was very good at it,” Tao said. “Her office always had blooming plants from her garden. She would replace them with a new blooming type while planting the old ones back in her garden. She was always friendly, happy to chat with us about anything, especially teaching.”

Oshita noted that when he joined the department in the late 1990s, Suharni had built the Indonesian program to such an extent that that it had more enrollments than the Japanese program. Oshita also remembers how she was “always friendly, and I enjoyed exchanging words with her in the hallway and copier room.”

Professor Castaneda likewise noted “how friendly she was greeting me in the hallways.”

Bond recalled what a great cook Suharni was.

“She enjoyed cooking, both traditional Indonesian and western cuisine, at the level of a French chef! I remember she made a holiday Yule log one year, delicious and beautifully decorated including mushrooms made from merengue,” Bond said.

Filling their classrooms with the light of their global citizenry

Marmo and Suharni were the quintessential linguistics faculty.

They were multilingual: their first language was Javanese and, of course, they were fluent speakers of Indonesian and English, and multicultural;  they created the name “Soemarmo” because Indonesia does not typically have family names, only given names.

They also filled their classrooms with the light of their global citizenry. Marmo, in his signature John Lennon hat and leather jacket, travelled the world representing the department at conferences and keeping in touch with OHIO’s far flung alumni.

Bond recalled Suharni telling her that  she attended Christian churches in Indonesia because she liked the music, even though she was officially Muslim. To their students, Marmo and Suharni demonstrated the endless possibilities of creating richer identities through language learning and the willingness to be exposed to new cultures.

We are so grateful to Marmo and Suharni for sharing their talents as valued faculty members. They inspired both fellow faculty and so many students. We will always remember them warmly.