The Hendrix
College community is saddened by the death of former Provost and Dean of the
College Dr. Robert L. Entzminger, who retired from the Hendrix in 2015.
A service honoring Dr. Entzminger will be held Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in Greene Chapel on the Hendrix College campus. Also, on Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m., a service will be held at the Memphis Funeral Home on Poplar Avenue in Memphis, Tenn. The obituary follows.
Dr. Robert L. Entzminger, 71,
died Sept. 22, 2019, surrounded by family at his home in Memphis, Tenn.
Robert, known to
friends as Bob, was born Feb. 25, 1948 in Belle, W.Va., to Robert and
Lottie M. Conley Entzminger. Bob met his wife Mary Lou Milam at DuPont High
School in Belle and, after a lengthy long-distance relationship that began
while both were seniors in college, they married in 1972.
Professionally,
Dr. Entzminger was a teacher, scholar, and administrator. He graduated from
Washington and Lee University and went on to earn his doctorate from Rice
University. He specialized in British Renaissance Literature, authoring a book
on John Milton titled Divine Word,
among many other publishing credits. He received awards for his scholarship and
teaching and was elected to numerous leadership roles in national and regional
professional organizations. He was the English Graduate Program Chair at
Virginia Tech and served as the T.K. Young Professor of English at Rhodes
College, where he was also Department Chair from 1987-2000. He became the
Provost and Dean of the College at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas and led
with distinction until his retirement in 2015, leading the team that built the
Odyssey program.
Bob’s research
and teaching provided opportunity for travel, and the family trips with his
wife and two sons were treasured. Bob was a fan of many of life’s wonders:
great music, literature and theatre, beautiful basketball, and good food,
especially desserts. His students and peers at Rhodes and Hendrix both knew him
for his collection of Elvis kitsch, which amused him since the family’s move to
Memphis in 1987. He was a quick wit and valued all culture as high culture,
quoting Willie Nelson and John Milton with equal passion, humor, and
generosity.
Bob’s life took
him from a hamlet in Appalachia to the height of academia. He is survived by
his wife and best friend, Mary Lou Milam Entzminger; sons Chris and Justin
Entzminger (Elizabeth Cawein), all of Memphis; and his sister-in-law, Cynthia
Barnes, of Fairfax, Va. He is preceded in death by his mother Lottie,
father Robert, and grandson, Henry L. Entzminger.
Arrangements are
with Memphis Funeral Home.
In lieu of
flowers, donations may be made to Hendrix College or to a charity for education
or the arts.