KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Dr. Charles H. Weaver, 77, first chancellor of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, died Thursday at his home here.
Weaver, who was chancellor from 1968 until 1971, was appointed to the post after the university was reorganized as a statewide system.
Prior to his appointment by UT President Andrew D. Holt, Weaver was dean of the College of Engineering. In 1971 UT President Edward J. Boling appointed him vice president for continuing education.
Four years later, Weaver was appointed dean of the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma in addition to his duties as vice president.
Weaver held the positions until the UT Board of Trustees made him a University Professor, approving his return in 1982 to the classroom in the UT-Knoxville College of Engineering. He retired in 1986.
UT President Joe Johnson said he was saddened by the death of the former chancellor.
“Charles Weaver was a remarkable individual who always had at heart the best interests of the University,” Johnson said. “We will always be grateful for his leadership role in the early days of the statewide University system as well as for his wit, good sense, and devotion to his students.
“To his family we offer our heartfelt sympathies and concern.”
UT-Knoxville Chancellor Bill Snyder said he met Weaver in 1964.
“I considered him a very special person and a long-time friend,” Snyder said. “His death is a real loss. He did wonderful things for the College of Engineering and for the campus when he was its very first chancellor.”
As a University Professor, Weaver made significant contributions to the curriculum in freshman engineering, Snyder said.
“He strengthened the advising system in the electrical engineering department, and he was instrumental in helping make some needed changes in the curriculum,” Snyder said.
From 1959 to 1965 Weaver was at Auburn University where he held the positions of Westinghouse Professor of Electrical Engineering and later, Head Professor of Electrical Engineering.
He taught at UT-Knoxville in the department of electrical engineering from 1946 to 1959 with service interrupted to earn the doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1956. He earned the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UT-Knoxville.
A native of Murfreesboro, Weaver is survived by his wife, the former Ann Hope Hampton, and four children: Hope, Hadley, Jess and Amy.
Friends and relatives may sign a memorial book at Rose-Mann Mortuary, Kingston Pike. Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Auburn Memorial Gardens, Auburn, Ala.
Memorials may be made to Thompson Cancer Survival Center or to the University of Tennessee, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 1609 Melrose Ave. —
Contact: Joe Johnson (423-974-2241), Bill Snyder (423-974-3288)