Baylor University Mourns Passing of Emeritus French Professor

June 30, 2015
Dr. Lois Marie Sutton

Dr. Lois Marie Sutton

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
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WACO, Texas (June 30, 2015) – Baylor University is mourning the passing of Lois Marie Sutton, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of French, who passed away June 17 in Waco after a brief illness. She was 89. A private interment was held in Fort Worth at Mount Olivet Garden of Memories.

Dr. Sutton began her career in the department of foreign languages at Baylor in 1945, teaching French, Spanish and Italian. She served as director of the division of French and Italian from the mid-1970s until the early 1980s and as chair of the department of modern foreign languages in the mid-1980s. She retired from the university in 1994.

Dr. Sutton enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and abroad and cherished the special friendships made with Baylor colleagues as well as friendships and correspondence with numerous former students.

“Last year several members of our department were having lunch with Lois at the McMullen Faculty Center, and as often is the case, we were talking about our travels abroad,” said Manual Ortuño, Ph.D., professor of Spanish and Portuguese in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. “Lois’s comment was that she, too, had been to many different countries but had probably traveled just as much within the United States. She went on to say that many years ago she had decided to visit the birthplace of each of the presidents of the United States, and that fortunately very few still remained to be seen.”

Dr. Sutton received her B.A. from the University of Texas, M.A. from Baylor and Ph.D. from the University of Texas. She also studied at the University of Mexico and the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. In 2004, she was presented the Herbert H. Reynolds Award for Exemplary Service and also the Baylor University Retired Faculty Service Award.

Dr. Sutton was preceded in death by her parents.

During this difficult time, please remember the many faculty, staff and students whom Dr. Sutton influenced over the years.