A popular and longtime member of Iowa State’s faculty died Monday.

Sharon Mathes, 57, professor of health and human performance, died at Mary Greeley Medical Center of pancreatic cancer. She had been with Iowa State since 1971.

Jerry Thomas, professor and chair of health and human performance, said Mathes was diagnosed with cancer last year and was treated at the Mayo Clinics in Rochester, Minn.

“[She] was treated there both with an operation and with chemo and with radiation,” Thomas said. “That appeared to work for a while, but then the cancer reoccurred.”

Thomas said Mathes had saved up sick leave during her 29 years at Iowa State, and she took that time off to undergo treatment.

He said the focus of Mathes’ work was sports psychology, and she worked with the Athletic Department in addition to her work with graduate and undergraduate students. For the last year and half, she had also been serving as associate chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance.

Mathes taught an undergraduate course in sports psychology, Exercise and Sports Science 365, and a graduate course, Exercise and Sports Science 521, Thomas said. Her research focused on gender roles in sports, as well as sports psychology.

Mary Ellen Wishart, academic adviser in health and human performance, said Mathes worked well with students.

“She provided a little balance in the department,” she said. “She worked with students to get them to approach their academic goals in a reasonable way, to really balance their life.”

Thomas said the department will miss Mathes.

“Sharon was an absolutely wonderful person; she can’t be replaced,” he said. “She contributed to this department; she cared about every faculty member in this department for 30 years, and you just don’t replace people like that.”

Shirley Wood, associate dean of the College of Education, had known Mathes for 28 years.

“She was an expert at making her courses both interesting as well as difficult,” Wood said. “She never gave up her standards, but she really was able to motivate students to learn. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and that showed through in her teaching.”

Elaine Hieber, senior associate director of athletics, said Mathes had worked with the pole vaulting, volleyball and basketball teams in the past. She also had done imagery work with the men’s basketball team.

Mathes also worked with ISU coaches and had done extensive work in the last year with the men’s swimming team.

“She was a true friend of the Athletic Department, serving us through service in many ways. Our student athletes speak very fondly of her. We’ve all lost a friend,” Hieber said.

Mathes served on many committees at Iowa State, including the Athletic Council and the Athletic Committee on Drugs. She was often honored for her work at Iowa State, Wood said.

She received the AMOCO Outstanding Teacher Award in 1978, a Faculty Citation from the ISU Alumni Association in 1988 and the University Teaching Excellence Award in 1990. Mathes was also the first recipient of the Norm Boyle Award for dedication and concern for student athletes.

Mathes earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at UCLA in physical education and her Ph.D. at Purdue in physical education with an emphasis in sports psychology.

She is survived by her brother, Leonard Mathes of Chino Hill, Calif., and two nephews.

The university has established the Sharon A. Mathes Memorial Fund at the ISU Foundation. Contributions can be made in the Alumni Suite of the Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50012.

Memorial services will be held Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.