College faculty retirees: Hagy, John, Kennedy, Kron, Laughlin, Levy

June 2, 2021

A guest post from the College

This is the second in a five-part series honoring College faculty who have retired in 2021 and 2020. Enjoy the linked profiles, written by faculty colleagues within their departments, honoring these incredible teacher-scholars and their lasting legacies.

• David Hagy, Teaching Professor of Music and Director of Orchestra
• David J. John, Professor of Computer Science
• Ralph C. Kennedy, Professor of Philosophy
• Kathleen “Kathy” Kron, Professor of Biology
• Page H. Laughlin, Harold W. Tribble Professor of Art
• David B. Levy, Professor of Music

Wake Forest University honors David Hagy, M.F.A., D.M.A., for 26 years of service to the University and its Department of Music as a musician who made his deep love for music instantly evident, whether he was conducting an orchestra, teaching a class or in casual conversation; for demonstrating an enthusiasm for his discipline that is infectious and inspiring, as countless grateful students in his orchestras and classrooms can attest; for showing the power of music in a variety of ways, whether he was leading the University Orchestra, conducting pit orchestras in musical theatre productions, leading professional orchestras in the region and beyond, teaching classes on campus or instructing students at Casa Artom in Venice; and for his inspiring leadership as conductor, joyful enthusiasm as a teacher and generous mentorship of countless students.

Wake Forest University honors David J. John, Ph.D., for 39 years of service to the University and its Department of Computer Science as a significant scholarly contributor to the fields of genetic algorithms, bioinformatics and high-performance computing; for his thoughtful early design of the Wake Forest computer science curriculum and his rich teaching, which have touched all graduates of the computer science program; for providing invaluable service as a longtime peer evaluator for other institutions; for playing key roles at the University, including as the founding director of WakerSpace; and for being a dedicated colleague, mentor and friend whose work exemplifies the teacher-scholar model.

Wake Forest University honors Ralph C. Kennedy, Ph.D., for 45 years of service to the University and its Department of Philosophy; for his unwavering commitment to and tireless promotion of the wellbeing of the Philosophy Department as its Department chair for 13 years; for his philosophical insights and scholarly contributions to several fields in philosophy; for his dedication the education of generations of Wake Forest students; for pioneering the use of information technology for the College faculty; for being a warm, supportive and thoughtful colleague with an impeccable sense of humor

Wake Forest University honors Kathleen Kron, Ph.D., for 29 years of service to the University and the Department of Biology, dedicating her career of research and teaching to the study of plant evolution; for being an internationally recognized expert on the Ericaceae, the family of flowering plants that includes heathers, blueberries and rhododendrons; for publishing widely and taking her students to many international botanical conferences; for teaching classes in biogeography and biodiversity and developing a popular liberal arts course for non-majors titled Plants and People that made use of Reynolda Gardens and the works of art at Reynolda House; for providing substantial service to Wake Forest University and the scientific research community as curator of the Wake Forest Herbarium.

Wake Forest University honors Page H. Laughlin, M.F.A., for 34 years of service to the University and its Department of Art as a painter and multi-talented artist; for teaching classes in all levels of painting as well as specialized courses on the contemporary art, thereby inspiring several generations of students; for her dedicated service to and shaping of the Art Department in her seven years as Chair; for her development of the studio area; and for being a loyal colleague whose dedication to teaching and creative expression exemplify the teacher-scholar model.

Wake Forest University honors David B. Levy, Ph.D., for 45 years of service to the University and its Department of Music as an inspiring teacher, admired scholar and energetic administrator; for his authoritative work as a noted scholar of the music of Beethoven and other 19th-century composers; for his devoted and inspiring courses on music of the 19th century and beyond; for his generous service in many campus leadership roles, including Chair of the Department of Music, Program Director of the Vienna Program at Flow House and Associate Dean of the College.