Dorothy Mealmaker Sermol, age 85, passed away peacefully at home on July 20, 2025, in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by her loving husband and family. Her life was devoted to kindness, understanding, and the teaching and advocacy of diversity in worldviews. In addition, she was a devoted lover of “pussy cats.”
Dorothy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to James and Marion “Minnie” Colville. She spent her childhood in Thornliebank, Ayr, and Greenock, and attended Greenock Academy. A gifted vocalist, she won numerous voice competitions and earned a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music and Dance, where she received her LRAM (Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music).
In 1965, following the death of her first husband, Dorothy emigrated to the United States with her two young daughters. She taught in private schools across the state of California including in Los Angeles, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and San Francisco. She later attended San Mateo College and then moved to Portland, Oregon, where she earned a BA in Intercultural Communication from Marylhurst College. Her passion for communication led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Speech Communication, with an emphasis in Intercultural Communication, from Portland State University. Her thesis was titled: “Toward a Phenomenological-Based Perspective of Acculturation with Application to Scottish Immigrants.”
Dorothy continued her teaching career at the college level, serving at Portland Community College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Lesley College, and Portland State University in the Communication Department. While at Portland State she also served as a dedicated union representative advocating for faculty rights, was involved with Intercultural Communication Workshop (ICW) classes, the Training and Development Program (T&D 1998—2008), and various student exchange programs. She also taught for many years at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC, 1991-2012), at a conference hosted by the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI), as well as using her singing talents to entertain attendees during the opening, closing ceremonies and/or various other SIIC events (1987-2018). During her tenure at SIIC, she co-taught many workshops including: Using the Intercultural Perspective; Applying the Intercultural Perspective; Best Practices of Intercultural Communication; and Borders, Boundaries, Belonging and Beyond. Dorothy founded Intercultural Communication Solutions (ICS) and consulted for a variety of institutions during the 1990s and well into the 2000s working with multiple companies helping them with global teaming and communication. One of those was PGE, which had been owned by a Scottish firm for about 10 years, where she helped with that transition and the communication internationally.
An accomplished opera singer, Dorothy performed widely, including appearances on BBC radio and television, the Edinburgh International Music Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Albert Hall, Menlo Guild Players, Pacific Opera Theatre, Golden Gate Opera Arts, Coastside Chorale, San Mateo Chorale Society, Scottish Rite Temple, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. She also shared her love of Scottish folk songs and Robert Burns at many Highland Games and Burns Night celebrations.
Dorothy is survived by her beloved husband, Hap; her daughters, Luisa and Amanda; and her granddaughters, Samantha, Isabella, and Sarah. She is sorely missed, “Till a’ the seas gang dry, our dear.”
Remembrance article by Sandra Garrison
