It is with great sadness that we share the passing of three former professors who held long and distinguished careers at Drake.

Phyllis Kingsbury, associate professor emeritus of biology, passed away May 12. She was a cornerstone of the original environmental track in the biology department and taught at Drake until her retirement in 1996. See Professor Kingsbury’s obituary. 

Robert (Bob) Kodama, professor emeritus of biology, passed away May 30. For more than 30 years, Professor Kodama served on the Drake faculty. He was known fondly as “Dr. K” by his students. His legacy will live on in the many students he taught who went on to lead rewarding careers in medicine. See Professor Kodama’s obituary. 

Robert (Bob) Lutz, associate professor emeritus of physics, passed away June 12. Professor Lutz was not only a revered educator during his time at Drake, but he also served as Director of Computing and Telecommunications in the 80s and led Drake’s early adoption of technology solutions, including the University’s membership in the Apple Consortium, which made computers more accessible to faculty, staff, and students. See Professor Lutz’s obituary.

Professors Kingsbury, Kodama, and Lutz will be missed dearly. They had a profound impact on our University and on the lives of their students and colleagues.