Beloved Augusta president emeritus William Bloodworth Jr. passes away at 79
William Bloodworth Jr. was a well-known face at Augusta University. (photo by Rakiyah Lenon)
By Rakiyah Lenon | Editor in chief
William Andrew Bloodworth Jr., Augusta College and Augusta State University president emeritus, beloved teacher and professor, died Monday, Aug. 29. He was 79.
The cause of death was cancer. Professor Bloodworth had battled it for about a decade.
“Augusta University has lost a giant,” wrote retired history professor Hubert van Tuyll on Facebook. “He was a man of genuine integrity. He truly cared for the students, faculty and staff of this university. He was a true intellectual.”
Bloodworth served as president of the university from 1993 until 2012.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Bloodworth obtained his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from Texas colleges, majoring in English education, English and American civilization. He took on jobs as a professor, provost, chairperson and vice chancellor between multiple colleges before becoming president of Augusta College, which later became Augusta State University from 1993 to 2012.
Although he retired as president after 18 years at the helm, he later returned to the classroom as a professor of history, connecting with many students.
A caring husband, father and grandfather, Bloodworth had a love for life and a love for teaching. He will be dearly missed.
“I personally enjoyed him as a colleague and appreciated him as a dispenser of advice to a new department chair,” wrote Professor Ruth McClelland-Nugent, chair of the Department of History, Philosophy and Anthropology, on Twitter. “He never forgot his own time as a department chair, and it showed.”
McClelland-Nugent said that President Bloodworth saw education as being about changing lives.
“Coming from a working-class background himself, he had a strong belief in the transformative power of education, and in the unique role of higher education in creating opportunity,” she said. “He wanted Augusta College, and then Augusta State University, to be a place where diverse members of the community could come together in pursuit of learning. He always remembered people's names and thanked all of us for playing our different roles in helping students succeed.
“When he retired as president of Augusta State University, he came back as a teaching professor. He found teaching invigorating, and he continued to teach even while undergoing chemotherapy for his cancer. In fact, he told me once that teaching was as good for him as the chemo; serving our students and guiding them towards a love of American history gave him purpose and passion.”
AU President Brooks A. Keel praised Bloodworth for his leadership.
“Alongside a teaching career that spanned half a century, Dr. Bloodworth was instrumental in our institution’s growth, overseeing Augusta College’s transition to a state university, developing new programs, accreditations and online class offerings, as well as spearheading over $103 million in new construction and renovations during his tenure,” Keel stated.
Contact Rakiyah Lenon at rlenon@augusta.edu.
Portrait of President Bloodworth by E.E. Wimberly, housed in Reese Library.
Professor Bloodworth giving a talk at a Phi Kappa Phi ceremony. (photo for AU DCM)
