Tree to be Dedicated in Honor of Professors Who Left Estate to UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Together, Dr. Emerson Robert Loomis and Professor Betty H. Loomis gave more than 60 years of their lives to teaching at The University of Alabama. When the married couple died within a few months of each other in 2001, they left more than $1.7 million in testamentary gifts to the University.

A tree will be dedicated on the UA campus in memory of this extraordinary couple on Wednesday, July 9, at 11 a.m. at the Ferguson Center plaza.

“This tree will provide a lasting tribute to Dr. and Mrs. Loomis for their generous acts and the lifetimes of service they gave to the University they loved,” said Butch Hughes, planned giving officer at UA.

Dr. Loomis’ career as an English professor in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences spanned 35 years. He taught a wide range of English courses, including composition, the history of English literature and Romantic literature, and was known for his devoted following of students.

Mrs. Loomis joined the University in 1966 as an assistant professor of management communications in the College of Commerce and Business Administration. In addition to teaching business writing and communication classes, she served as editor of the business school’s alumni publication for a number of years. Both Dr. and Mrs. Loomis retired in 1993.

Dr. and Mrs. Loomis’s gifts to the University were designated for scholarships in their respective fields — the Emerson Robert Loomis Endowed Scholarship in English Literature and the Betty H. Loomis Endowed Scholarship in Management and Marketing.