In memoriam: Prof. Carolynn Van Dyke

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the death of Carolynn Van Dyke, Francis A. March Professor Emerita of English, who passed away Feb. 11. The College offers its deepest sympathy and condolences to her family and to the campus community impacted by the loss.

Van Dyke taught at Lafayette from 1980 to 2016. She was hired as an assistant professor of English, moved to the Computer Science Department in 1984, where she achieved tenure, and returned to the English Department in 1990. While at Lafayette she received the following honors: Thomas and Lura Forrest Jones Faculty Lecture Award; Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and Service; Marquis Distinguished Teaching Award; National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellowship; Woman of the Year, and Lehigh Valley Association of Academic Women. She is survived by her spouse, Ann Carter. A celebration of life is being planned for spring or summer.

“Lynn Van Dyke defined Lafayette excellence: a polymath who was trained as a Humanist, she headed the fledgling computer science program at Lafayette even while she led the English Department for many years, says Paul Cefalu, Frank Lee and Edna M. Smith Professor and Department Head-English. “Later in her career she helped found the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. She led with brilliance but also with gentle kindness. A scholar of the first rank– whose work on allegory continues to be influential–she was above all a model teacher and mentor whose presence in the classroom shaped the lives of a generation of students.”

Members of the Lafayette community in need of support during this difficult time are encouraged to reach out to College Chaplain Alexandra Hendrickson (hendrica@lafayette.edu or 610-330-5959). Additional resources are also available to faculty and staff through the Employee Assistance Program. The Counseling Center shares resources for dealing with grief and loss, as well as local support groups.