Roy Aycock, Professor Emeritus of English, Dies July 23

Roy E. Aycock of Norfolk, professor emeritus of English at Old Dominion, died Monday, July 23, 2012, at DePaul Medical Center. The Rev. Marvin B. Aycock Jr. will conduct a graveside funeral service at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, S.C., on Saturday, July 28.

Aycock was born in Greenville, S.C., on April 11, 1926. He graduated from Greenville High School and Furman University, and received a master's degree and doctorate at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Aycock taught at ODU from 1960 until 1992, when he retired. He joined the university as an associate professor of English and was promoted to professor in 1965. He was instrumental in starting the Literary Club and was its faculty adviser for several years. He also brought to the university Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honor Society, and served as its adviser for several years.

He was the university representative for the Rhodes Scholarship Trust and founder of the Shakespeare Ensemble at ODU. His writings appeared in a variety of journals.

Aycock, who served in the U.S. Air Force, also taught at Auburn University, Georgia Tech and UNC-Chapel Hill.

He is survived by a nephew, the Rev. Marvin B. Aycock Jr.; a niece, Joan Mendelsohn; a great-nephew, Clark Aycock; and other nieces and nephews.