| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Dr. Tom Jeffries, CU retired professor, dies at 66 By Joan C. McKinney, director of university communications Dr. Thomas V. Tom Jeffries, retired professor of chemistry who taught chemistry at Campbellsville University 37 years, died at 4:58 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 at Norton Hospital in Louisville of leukemia. He was 66. Jeffries began teaching at CU in August 1968 and retired in June 2006. Dr. Tom Jeffries loved Campbellsville University, and he loved teaching, said Dr. W.R. Davenport, president of Campbellsville University from 1969 to 1988. He had a special way with students, and left his mark on many of them. Two generations of my own family learned chemistry from him, and they have a deep respect for him both as professor and as mentor. My administrative relationship with Tom spanned almost two decades, and while we had occasional points of healthy difference, I had no more loyal supporter from among the faculty. He was devoted to his work, to his students, and to our mutual calling. Our prayers are that Gods love and comfort will sustain Wanda and the girls in this great loss that is also shared by so many. Tom Jeffries possessed a keen interest in his discipline and in his students, said Dr. Robert S. Clark, who is vice president for academic affairs and professor emeritus and who worked with Jeffries during his 32-year tenure at CU. Although broadly trained in science, he specialized in chemistry, and many students preparing to teach in the elementary grades took his course in geology, Clark said. Dr. Jeffries followed his students in the health professions: physicians, pharmacists, dentists and veterinary medicine. They maintained contact with him discussing their careers, Clark said. Tom was the smartest person I have ever known if the yardstick is breadth and depth of knowledge plus the ability to recall names, dates, events and even jokes, said Dr. Milton Rogers, professor of biology at CU, who worked with Jeffries for over 30 years. His mental ability to learn, store and recall information continually amazed me. I already miss that, he said. In his professional life, he had a breadth of knowledge that few could match, Rogers said. It ranged from geology and paleontology to chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics, he said. Tommy Clark, professor of art at CU, came to Campbellsville University in 1972 and was in the same Sunday School class at Campbellsville Baptist Church for almost 35 years. Tom would hardly ever miss Sunday School, he said. Tom had a great interest in art and showed art talent himself, said Clark. We also shared a similar interest in dinosaurs; he even made some in clay, as I do. Whenever Im teaching ceramics and have a problem understanding some of the glaze chemicals, he was just a call away, where he helped me understand why certain chemical properties react the way they do. Clark said, Hes been a great friend, and I miss getting to talk to him. Jeffries, a tall man, did cross stitch as a hobby with United States postal stamps as a special point of interest. He had no pattern from which to produce the cross stitch pieces. He was an avid collector; however, he was not content just to acquire items, Rogers said. He was not satisfied until he had studied about the things he was collecting to the point of being an expert on the subject, Rogers said. Just in the area of Roman coins, he had more knowledge about the coins than individuals who wrote articles about the Roman era, he said. Rogers said he had the most varied range of interests of anyone I have ever known. The following list of interests illustrate the point, Rogers said, as Jeffries grew bonsai trees, was an avid gardener, crafted doll furniture, made muzzle-loading guns and pistols, constructed a water garden with koi, grew maple trees in his yard from all over the world, was an excellent chef, was an incredible artist and loved to travel in such varied places as Europe and the western United States. Jeffries loved his cars especially his Corvettes. His love for cars was not limited to Corvettes, however, because at one time, he restored a 1928 Ford Pick-up truck back to the original specifications, Rogers said. Clark said he would always call on Jeffries to help him propagate his plants. He would also share many of his plants with me. He and Milton Rogers have taught me about everything there is to know about pruning plants and trees properly, without damaging them. Jeffries received his doctor of arts degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 1987. He received a master of arts in 1967 from Western Kentucky University where he received his bachelor of science in 1962. He also studied environmental biology at Bowling Green State University, chemistry at WKU, embryology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. and physics at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. He graduated from Metcalfe County High School in 1958, and is the son of the late Elmer Vincent and Eugenia Cassidy Jeffries, formerly of Center, Ky. Jeffries was born in Metcalfe County in Kentucky. Before beginning his career at Campbellsville University, Jeffries taught chemistry and biology from 1962 to 1968 at Hiseville High School in Barren County. He taught at Marion County High School for the academic year 2005-06. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, an organization for the recognition and encouragement of superior scholarship in all academic disciplines; the American Chemical Society and Tennessee Academy of Science. Jeffries and his wife, Wanda Blaydes Jeffries, a 1969 CU graduate, who survives, had two daughters who also survive, Alyssa L. Jeffries, who graduated in 2002 from CU, and Camille Jeffries Holt, a 2000 CU graduate who is married to Daniel Holt and who has a daughter, Chloe Isabel Holt, and a son, Caleb Daniel Holt. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Larissa Shelly Jeffries in 1974. Other survivors include: four sisters and their spouses: Lanie and Jerry Ramsey and Janie and Jimmy Middleton of Sonora, Ky.; Martha Lou and Dean Martin of Horse Cave, Ky., and Rosalee Jeffries of Center; his mother-in-law, Chrystal Blaydes of Campbellsville; three nieces and four nephews; and many other relatives and friends. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Campbellsville Baptist Church. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 at Campbellsville Baptist Church. Officiating at the service will be the Rev. Skip Alexander, Dr. H. Ray England, Dr. Robert Doty and the Rev. J. Alvin Hardy. Pallbearers will be: Ricky Asbury, Stan Harlow, Ronnie Jeffries, Kenneth Shorty Matney, Chris Pickett, Jeffrey Ramsey, Dr. Milton Rogers and Dr. Harlie White. Honorary pallbearers are: Bill Bryan, Tommy Clark, Dr. W.R. Davenport, Talmadge Derringer, Joe DeSpain, Dr. Robert Doty, Joe Foster, James Graves, Dr. Richie Kessler, Dr. Glenn McQuaide, Russ Mobley, Neil Moseley, Ron Rafferty, Dr. Vernon Roddy, Dr. Eugene Shively, Gordon Smith, Dr. Robert Street, Dr. Gordon Weddle and Dr. Ken Winters. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or Gideon Bibles. Parrott and Ramsey Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Burial is in Brookside Mausoleum. Campbellsville University, now celebrating her Centennial year, is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This story was posted on 2006-10-31 15:45:19
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. Located one block off the Square at 200 Campbellsville Street in Columbia, KY. To reach David and Cathy Martin, phone (270)-384-2149, or e-mail: grissomfuneralhome@windstream.net. Large enough to serve comfortably; Small enough to serve personally. Todd and Mandi Green and Jared Conover 1670 Liberty Road, Columbia, KY. email: toddg12@windstream.net, 270-634-0359 First Quality Marble and Granite Established 1922 | 210 Greensburg St., Columbia, KY 42728 | Jeff Jessie, Owner 270-384-2145, www.stottsphelpsmcquearyfh.com, email stottspm@duo-county.com
More articles from topic Obituaries:
Obituary: Jesse U. Keltner, 74, dies in Richmond, KY Obituary: Gilbert Dale Burton, Adair native Obituary: Lester Burton, 89 Obituary: Lucille Reynolds, 77 Obituary: Jimmy Dale Bledsoe, 63, prominent Adair resident Obituary: Jimmie D. Otterson, Sr, 72, minister Obituary: Bradley Lynn McClister, 49 Obituary: Coy O. Coomer, 77, of Chance Community Obituary: Ivadean Harrison, 87, of the Methodist faith Obituary: Gene Chapman, 63, USAF Vietnam Era veteran View even more articles in topic Obituaries |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
