John Riley, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, passed away Monday, September 16, at the age of 66.
The CASNR student body will hold a candle light vigil honoring Riley this evening at 8:00 p.m. in front of Morgan Hall. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, at Lake Hills Presbyterian Church, located at 3805 Maloney Road in Knoxville. A memorial service also will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, September 23, at Hebron Presbyterian Church in Staunton, Virginia. Visit the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website for more information.
Riley came to UT in 1995 from Kansas State University to serve as the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. After four years as dean of the college he returned to what he enjoyed the most—teaching and advising students. He was known for going above and beyond to help students who needed his assistance. He received the Institute of Agriculture’s Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award in 2003 and the Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award in 2004. He was also a past president of the UT Faculty Club.
Riley was active in 4-H and was an advisor for the FarmHouse fraternity. He coached the National AgriMarketing Association (NAMA) Marketing Teams at both Kansas State and UT. His teams won several national competitions, and Riley was recognized for his work with the National NAMA Careers Committee by being the only person to receive NAMA’s National Leadership Award.
Read more in the Knoxville News Sentinel.