Lipscomb mourns the loss of longtime English professor Steve Prewitt
Kim Chaudoin |
The Lipscomb community is mourning the loss of Steve Prewitt, an English professor for more than 40 years andadministrator, who passed away Nov. 11, at age 71.
Prewitt was a member of Lipscomb’s English and Modern Languages department faculty from 1979 until his retirement in May 2025. He also served as associate provost for a number of years.
In addition, during his tenure he served as director of the Writing Program, director of general education, director of Academic Program Development,
first faculty liaison to the Student Government Association, faculty mentor, president of the Faculty Senate and as a member of the Admissions and Recruiting Committee. He was awarded Lipscomb summer grants in 1990 and 1995 and the David Laine Award in 1997.
One of Prewitt’s colleagues once wrote in a letter of recommendation for promotion: “I have heard from countless students about his excellence in the classroom. …In part because of his extensive experience with teaching and in part because of his voracious intellect, Steve is the sort of colleague who enriches any conversation in our department. He offers wise counsel to his fellow teachers and warm encouragement to his fellow scholars.”
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A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Prewitt received a Bachelor of Arts. in English from Lipscomb University and a Master of Arts in English from University of Mississippi. He also completed additional work at Vanderbilt University in 18th Century English Literature and attended the Yeats International Summer School in Sligo, Ireland, in 1983.
He was a member of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Tennessee Philological Association, the Tennessee College English Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, Council of Writing Program Administrators, South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Conference on Christianity and Literature and Phi Kappa Phi.
Prewitt is survived by his wife, Terry; son, Tom C. Prewitt; daughter-in-law, Melanie Stover; and two grandchildren, Thomas and Jack Prewitt.
Visitation will be held at Lipscomb University in the Ezell lobby from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, followed by a Celebration of Life service in the Doris Swang Chapel at 2:30 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to either Room in the Inn or Lipscomb University's Honors College.