Editor’s note: This is a breaking story. Updates will come as new information is released.
Elizabeth McPhee, the first lady of MTSU and a retired third-grade teacher, died on Thursday, following a “brief illness,” according to Jimmy Hart, the senior director of MTSU News and Media Relations. She was 72.
The university both emailed the statement — written by MTSU Board of Trustees chair Stephen Smith — and posted it on various social media platforms. Smith extended sympathy to McPhee’s family.
“Her devotion to MTSU over the last quarter-century, combined with her career as an educator and her tremendous impact as a volunteer for numerous charitable causes, enhanced the lives of thousands in our city, state, and beyond,” Smith said.
Smith also said that the university will announce future arrangements in the coming days to honor McPhee’s life.
McPhee devoted her life to education, teaching third grade for 40 years before retiring in 2018.
She is survived by her husband of 45 years, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee; their son, Sidney-Anthony McPhee; their daughter, Seneca Ann McPhee; and the McPhee family, according to Smith.
“On behalf of the student body, I extend my deepest condolences to President McPhee and the McPhee family,” RJ Ware, MTSU Student Government Association president, said. “Mrs. McPhee was a beloved presence on our campus, and her kindness and devotion to MTSU will always be remembered. She was quite literally an icon, whose legacy we all should strive to honor and uphold.”
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