Four notable retired faculty members with a combined 116 years teaching at Guilford have died in the past few months: Ann Deagon, James B. “Jim” Gutsell, Bill Stevens and Lee McKay Johnson.

Ann, who taught classics for 36 years and was a writer-in-residence, died June 24 in Greensboro after a period of declining health. She joined the faculty in 1956 along with her husband, Donald, and was named Hege Professor of Humanities in 1987. She retired in 1992. Donald became chair of the Drama Department and died in 1985.

A founder and editor of the Guilford Review, which published the work of faculty, students and friends, she also organized and directed Poetry Center Southeast at Guilford and helped establish the North Carolina Writers’ Network.

Her awards included a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the 2012 Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet award and the Winthrop College (now University) Chapbook Award.

A memorial service for Ann was held Aug. 17 at New Garden Friends Meeting.

Jim, a Professor of English emeritus who died July 26, was on faculty at Guilford for 36 years and played a critical role in the development of the Study Abroad and Honors Programs. Under the leadership of President Grimsley Hobbs ’47 and others, He helped implement a new curriculum and the student body and faculty became more diverse. 

The second faculty member to lead the London semester, which was the beginning of the Study Abroad (now Global and Off-Campus Initiatives) Program, Jim was instrumental in establishing the Honors Program and workshops that evolved into the Writing across the Curriculum Program. 

A celebration of Jim's life will be held Sunday, Sept. 29, in the Carnegie Room of Hege Academic Commons on campus from 11 am to 2 pm. 

Bill, who died July 1 just weeks after a cancer diagnosis, was a member of Guilford’s Business faculty from 1982 until his retirement in 2006. In his six years as Dean, he was instrumental in building the Center for Continuing Education, which provided educational opportunities for adults and significant revenue for the College.

Bill was an Associate Professor of Business Management and served as department chair. In 2000, he was tapped to revive a CCE program that had fallen on hard times and led it to record enrollment of 1,300.

A memorial service for Bill was held May 9.

Lee, a Professor of English emeritus who taught literature at Guilford from 1980-2000, died April 3. He had a passion for art, architecture, literature and music and loved finding the connections between these disciplines and helping his students recognize the beauty in them.