Skosh, the Longest Serving Member in Grand View’s History
Karen Bason, commonly known as “Skosh,” a nickname given to her by former Grand View gymnastics coach, Charles Jacobson, has been a teacher at Grand View University for over 43 years. She is the longest serving member in Grand View’s history among any faculty, staff, or administration. Not only is Skosh a teacher, but she has also coached women’s gymnastics, volleyball and cheerleading, along with serving on numerous committees throughout her time at Grand View. Those who know her say that her job is far from being just a job. More appropriately put, Skosh said her job is “a vocation to life.”
Paige Beck (Sr) is a new student of Skosh’s this semester and she can already tell this teacher digs deeper than some. Beck is currently taking Core Seminar III with Skosh.
Karen Basin, known around campus as “Skosh” poses in her office. // VF File Photo by Elizabeth Wheeler
“She digs deep to help you understand and find things of yourself you would never know,” Beck said.
Beck said if there was one word she would use to describe Skosh it would be “trusting.” Beck went on to say the most important lesson she has learned from Skosh so far is that you should “live your life with purpose.” A lot of what Beck had to say about Skosh was echoed by Dr. Zebblin Sullivan, associate professor of kinesiology.
Sullivan was hired by Skosh in February 2011.
“Skosh was just amazing to be around, full of energy, perpetually optimistic and happy,” Sullivan said. “Everyone has stressors in their life, but Skosh has an amazing ability to tolerate outside influences. I mean, you would never be able to tell there was anything going wrong in her life.”
After sitting down with Skosh, her passion for Grand View was evident.
It is hard to find one word that embodies who Skosh is. She was a student at Grand View; she saw it grow from a two-year college to a four-year university with master’s degree programs. Skosh has won several awards, including faculty awards for excellence in teaching, mentoring and outstanding academic advising She has also won the Distinguished Alumni, Athletic Hall of Fame and Life Long Learning awards. As a rough estimate, Skosh said she has probably taught over 10,000 students in over 43 years at Grand View.
“Everyone is on this earth for a reason and a purpose. I truly feel it is an honor to walk with our students while they are on their journey,” Skosh said.
Skosh teaches a Core Seminar III class that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. // VF File Photo by Elizabeth Wheeler
As Skosh continues her journey in life at Grand View, she said she can’t help but think about the end that may be coming to her wonderful career at Grand View. Skosh said she has lived an incredible life of fulfillment, passion and love for what she does at Grand View. She said it is important to know she does not take life for granted. Skosh recalled that she has looked death straight in the eye on three separate occasions. The most recent of these horrific situations happened about 10 years ago.
“I was coming to school, heading north on East 14th. I was actually going to the Wellness building. Somebody caught me from behind, and I think they were probably on a cell phone. Thank goodness it wasn’t a Grand View student. They caught me underneath as I was turning, and they were in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is pretty big. It sent me airborne. It hit me so hard that the backend flipped over the front, the tires hit, and rolled me toward the dentist office; it hit a poll and rolled me two more times. It was a total of four rollovers. I had my seatbelt on. The car was totaled. The windows smashed, it was kind of like being a pinball in a pinball machine. They (witnesses) didn’t think anyone had survived. It was interesting because everything else was smashed as far as the top of the car. If you had been riding with me in the back seat you wouldn’t have made it, if you had been in the shotgun you wouldn’t have made it. The only place where it wasn’t totally smashed was the driver’s seat where I was sitting,” Skosh said.
After surviving the car crash Skosh said if she ever writes a book she already has the title picked out.
“The title would be, I must have been Bubble Wrapped in Angels,” Skosh said.
Skosh said life is a journey that she takes on with the Grand View community. She said that few people get to spend an entire lifetime doing something they love and enjoy.
“It gives you a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. To me, we’re all in this life together, we all have something to learn from everybody out there if we could only take time to listen and be quiet. As we travel together on this life journey, our paths cross briefly, but the lasting impact touches all of us forever,” Skosh said.
Skosh, Good to see you’re still at GV. You may not remember Iwas on GV’s first wrestling Team. actually finished college at Drake. Once in a first aid Class you jokingly pronounced me dead because you could’nt find my pulse. I enjoyed your classes.