TCC Professor Mary Fox Passes

This letter was sent to the campus community from President Ivan Harrell and Provost Marissa Schlesinger.

Dear College Community,

We are writing to share the sad news that Professor Mary Fox, a devoted and respected faculty member, passed away on Sunday after a year-long battle with cancer. Mary was moved to home hospice on Wednesday and spent her final days surrounded by the love and warmth of her family.

Mary leaves behind a legacy of unwavering commitment to her students, the college, her colleagues, and our community. For more than 25 years, Mary touched the lives of thousands of students as a professor, advisor and champion. She once described learning as “beautiful,” and we know she provided that kind of experience for her students.

Mary’s contributions are too numerous to list but include years of leadership and service on councils, committees, and workgroups engaging in work that helped shaped the values that serve as the foundation of our college today. Mary’s work extended far beyond the campus as she engaged in and led work with at-risk and incarcerated youths, our tribal communities, as well as our K-12 partners. Mary was instrumental in fundamentally changing the way in which we look at how students transition to college and led work that strengthened the pathways from high school to college-level English.

There is so much to say about Mary and her many achievements, from her racial equity work to helping students find their voice in their writing. Above all, Mary approached every aspect of her life with kindness, compassion, and humility. She was fearless and had the courage to challenge the systemic structures and status quo in support of those who have been historically underrepresented. In short, Mary used her time on this earth to make the world a better place.

We know there are so many memories of Mary. Please share your thoughts about her on this Kudosboard. If you would like to drop off a card for her family, you are welcome to do so at the Office of the President (12-220). We will make sure her family gets them.

Mary cared a lot about you, and she would want you to take care of yourself and each other. Please keep Mary’s family in your thoughts. We have remained in touch with them during this time, and when available, we will share memorial service information with you all.

Thank you, Ivan and Marissa