Richard Meredith Cornelius, 80, of Dayton, TN, died on Thursday morning, August 21, 2014.
He was born in Philadelphia, PA, on May 18, 1934 to the late Frederick Meredith and Elizabeth Marie (Yahraes) Cornelius; and was also preceded in death by his beloved wife, Donna Jean (Black) Cornelius.
He received his B.A. in English at Bryan College, earning his M.A. in English and his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. He was Professor of English at Bryan College from 1961 until retiring in 1999. He served his country with the US Army in Orleans, France. Dr. Cornelius was the liaison and archivist for William Jennings Bryan College and the Scopes trial from 1978 - 2009.
He was a member of the Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, Modern Language Association, National Council of Teachers of English and the Tennessee Association of Museums. He was a long-time member of Grace Bible Church, where he had served as Elder.
He is survived by his son, Rev. Craig (Michele) Cornelius of St. Paul, MN; his daughter, Crista Cornelius of Columbus, OH; and grandchildren Nathan Cornelius and Heather Cornelius of St. Paul, MN.
Funeral services with military honors will be held Sunday, August 24 at 5 p.m. at Grace Bible Church with his pastor, Dr. Doug Russell, officiating. He will be laid to rest next to his wife in Rhea Memory Gardens in Dayton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bryan College, 721 Bryan Dr., Dayton, TN 37321.
The family will receive friends at the church after 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 24.
The family is being served by the Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton, TN.