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Professor Emeritus Dal Wooten |
The Randolph-Macon College community mourns the loss of longtime colleague and friend, Professor Emeritus Dal Wooten, who died on August 18, 2011.
Professor Wooten joined the Randolph-Macon faculty in 1958. A native of Kinston, North Carolina, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of North Carolina.
He became chair of the English department in 1974, a position he held until his retirement in 1997. Professor Wooten was awarded the Noe-Kilgore prize for retired faculty in 2003.
Professor Wooten was more than a scholar of Milton; he was a lover of Milton, and his students were lovers of his course on Milton, even if sometimes resistant at first. He was also fond of theater in Richmond and Washington, exposing many of his students to their first taste of Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Albee. He took great pride in his alma mater and in his eastern Carolina roots, but his deepest loyalties were reserved for Randolph-Macon and its English department where his astute leadership went beyond the campus boundaries to provide a social environment that knit together diverse colleagues into a cohesive community. He was a friend to all, whether through freely offering candies in his office, kind words spoken, or invitations provided.
Professor Wooten is survived by his wife of 38 years, Monnie; his sister, Joyce W. Witherington; niece, Joyce W. Mattox; nephews, Cecil W. Wooten III, Andre Tennille Jr., George W. Tennille, and Dexter Witherington Jr.
The family received friends on August 21 at the Ironhorse Restaurant in Ashland, and graveside services were conducted on August 22 in Blandford Cemetery, with Randolph-Macon College Chaplain Darrell Headrick officiating.
Contributions in honor of Professor Wooten may be made to Randolph-Macon College, P.O. Box 5005, Ashland, VA 23005-5505.