Dr. Leo Mcgee

Funeral services for Dr. Leo McGee, Professor Emeritus and former Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Tennessee Tech University, age 79, were held Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. at the Cookeville First United Methodist Church. Rev. Kevin Conrad and Rev. Marc Burnett officiated. Private entombment followed in Crest Lawn Memorial Cemetery. His family received friends Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the church. Social distancing protocols and masks were required for all attendees. Dr. McGee died Wednesday March 31, 2021. He was born November 10, 1941 in Crossett, Arkansas, to the late Robert and Willie B. Lowe McGee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, while playing football as both an offensive lineman and defensive cornerback. He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in education from the Ohio State University, where he also served as Assistant Director and Director of Student Teaching. Dr. McGee later became a department head in the College of Education at Tennessee State University in Nashville. He followed a mentor at Ohio State, Dr. Arliss Roaden, to Tennessee Tech in 1977, becoming the first African American hired as an administrator at the university, serving as Assistant Dean of Extended Services and Associate Professor of Education. During his 30-year tenure at the university, he also served as Assistant, Associate and Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs. An avid tennis player along with his wife, TTU Professor Emeritus, Dr. Gloria McGee, he was instrumental in raising funds for the TTU Tennis Center Program, which totaled over $200,000 in support. He was also an active supporter of the Tennessee Boys State program that Tech hosts each summer. McGee is the author of more than 40 professional articles, 20 creative and opinion essays and has written or co-written six books. One of his creative essays, “Nothing Could Stop My Wife,” was published in “Good Housekeeping” magazine, serving as the basis of a television documentary which was produced by Lifetime Cable Network. McGee is also a long-time collector of art depicting African Americans in the Southern cotton industry. His collection is intended to understand, acknowledge, and pay tribute to his ancestors. He was appointed by to the Tennessee Arts Commission by Governor Bill Haslam in 2014. McGee’s honors include the President’s Award at Philander Smith College, the Distinguished Scholar Award at Ohio State University, and a Young Leader in Education Award with Phi Delta Kappa International. McGee was also a member of First United Methodist Church of Cookeville and the Rotary Club of Cookeville for over 40 years. He was also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Also known locally as "The Hydrangea Man" or "The Hydrangea Expert." Dr. McGee cultivated an award-winning Hydrangea Garden that won the “Better Homes and Gardens” National Award in 2013, and was featured in “Country Gardens” and “Garden & Gun” magazines. He was also well-known for the many educational seminars he gave to the public on the topic of growing hydrangeas successfully. Dr. McGee was preceded in death by brothers, Elmerice (K.W.) McGee and Freddie Lee McGee; and by sisters, Thelma Lee Carlock, Geneva Moore, Versie Lee Martin, and Bobbie Jean Coleman. A loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Dr. McGee is survived by his college sweetheart, his wife of 56 years, Dr. Gloria Foreman McGee; daughters, Dr. Cassandra McGee Stuart and husband Phillip Stuart of Knoxville, and Dr. Jennifer McGee Shuler and husband Matthew Phillip Shuler of New Orleans, LA; granddaughter, Jordan Erica Johnson of Nashville; brother, John T. McGee of Chicago; and by sisters, Eula Mae Wright of Phoenix and Robbie Jean Williams of Chicago. Honorary pallbearers were Phillip Stuart, Mathew Shuler, Dr. Angelo Volpe, Dr. Robert Bell, Dr. Michael Torrence, Becky Tolbert, Ben Springer, Greg Shelton, LTC,USA (Ret) James Stafne, Dan Dotson, and Dr. Carl Owens. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers were suggested to be made to the Leo and Gloria McGee Scholarship Endowment and/or to the Leo McGee Journalism Scholarship; c/o Tennessee Tech University Foundation, P.O. Box 1915, Cookeville, TN, 38505. Hooper Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111. Share memories and condolences at www.hhhfunerals.com.