Maya Angelou – A ‘commanding’ presence on campus

For the past 32 years, Wake Forest University and American author and poet Maya Angelou have been inextricably tied together. Angelou, who died last Wednesday at the age of 86, had served as Reynolds Professor of American studies at Wake Forest since 1982, writes Michael Hewlett for Winston-Salem Journal.

Provost Rogan Kersh said Angelou was woven into the fabric of the university: “She was a commanding presence at Wake Forest for 32 years,” he said. Kersh not only worked with Angelou but was a student in the first class she taught in the spring of 1983.

Angelou didn’t carry her fame into the classroom, Kersh said, she brought her humanity. She regaled students with stories about her successes and especially her failures. Kersh said that Angelou inspired him and other students through her stories of perseverance.
Full report on Winston-Salem Journal site