Claude Sumerlin

Dr. Claude Windell Sumerlin, 87, of Lynchburg, Virginia, died early Friday morning, February 18, 2011. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 57 years, Katherine Marie Strother Sumerlin. He is survived by his son Dr. Neal Sumerlin, his daughter-in-law Jane, and his grandchildren Daniel and Anna, all of Lynchburg. He is also survived by his sister Julia Elizabeth Sumerlin Koenig of Laredo, Texas.

Born March 11, 1923, in Sunshine, Texas (now part of Corpus Christi), he was the son of Claude Sumerlin and Emma Bell Miller Sumerlin. He was preceded in death by his brothers Oliver Wesley Sumerlin and Willis Howard Sumerlin, and by his sisters Connie Mae Sumerlin Jose and Berniece Marie Sumerlin.

Claude was a retired teacher of English and journalism. He grew up the son of sharecropper farmers, picking cotton in south Texas for 50 cents a day. He began attending Texas A&I College (now Texas A&M at Kingsville) in 1941, putting himself through school by working 60-70 hours a week as assistant manager of a local grocery store. In January 1943, he began his active duty in the Army Air Force, where he served as a radio operator on a B-24 bomber, flying 30 combat missions over Europe as part of the 8th Air Force in World War II. After the end of his active service, he re-enrolled in college, received his B.A. in 1947, took a job working as sportswriter for the San Antonio Express, and married Katherine Strother on September 2, 1947.

At his wife's urging (she was not a fan of late-night football games), he enrolled at Baylor University to earn a Master's degree in English. In August of 1950, he began teaching English and journalism at Van High School in east Texas, where he stayed for nine happy years. In 1959, he moved with his family to Arkadelphia, Arkansas to become professor of journalism and head of the news bureau at Ouachita Baptist College (now University). In 1968 he earned a Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Missouri and began teaching at Henderson State College (now University). In 1988, he retired after 20 years at Henderson. In 1998, he and Katherine moved to Lynchburg to be near their son and his family.

Claude was a member of the aptly named "greatest generation". His origins were humble; he spoke of burning the spines off the prickly pear cactus fruit that grew wild where he lived as a boy in order to have something to eat. The G.I. Bill allowed him to finish college and to earn his master's degree. As an adult, he hoarded neither his material goods nor his talents, participating in several medical missions to Brazil and Guatemala through the Baptist Church. He carried a lifelong sense of fairness and justice, and refused to assume that an exalted position was always due to merit, or that a lowly one was always a sign of its lack. He was an inspiration for generations of students, and for his family.

In his later years, Claude was well cared for by the nurses and staff at the Summit Health and Rehabilitation Center. His family is grateful for their caring, competence, and patience. There is a special place in heaven for these people.

Claude will be buried with his wife Katherine in their home town of 39 years, Arkadelphia, Arkansas. There will be a memorial service at the Ruggles-Wilcox Funeral Home in Arkadelphia at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 26th, followed by burial in Rest Haven Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Those wishing to make memorial contributions are asked to consider the Alzheimer's Association, 1022 Commerce Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504, or the University of Missouri School of Journalism, 120 Neff Hall, Columbia, MO 65211-1200.