Dr. Kenneth Gene Vanderpool

Dr. Kenneth Gene Vanderpool died Thursday, April 8th, 2021 at 84 years of age from complications of advanced Alzheimer’s. Ken was born September 3rd, 1936 in Comanche, Oklahoma in a two-room shack. He was named after two of his mother’s favorite, singing cowboys: Kenneth Maynard and Gene Autry. Ken grew up dirt poor, but became a self-made man, accomplished in education, church ministry, athletics, and music. His mother taught him to play guitar and harmonica, taught him to love God, and labored hard at what jobs she could find to care for her children. Ken Vanderpool grew into a man of diverse gifts and skills, with a desire to constantly learn. He valued integrity, responsibility, commitment, loyalty, kindness, love, and the ability to see good in everybody.

Ken graduated from Comanche High School, plus earned two bachelor’s degrees from Harding College (Harding University): Physical Education and Bible, in Searcy, Arkansas. He also earned his M.Ed. and Ed.D. both in Health and Physical Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he started out for college, Ken had nothing, but the clothes on his back and one suitcase. He hitch-hiked from Oklahoma to Searcy to attend school. Ken worked his way through school, finding odd jobs, anything to pay tuition. While at Harding, he met the love of his life, Lucia DuBois, working in the Patti Cobb Cafeteria. Before either one completed school, they married at the College Church of Christ in Searcy, May 26, 1957. Lucia dropped out of school early, supporting Ken in all his endeavors. Before heading to Philadelphia where Ken would attend Temple, they spent a summer in Macon, Georgia where he preached at a church of Christ. While living in Philadelphia, one of the first preaching jobs Ken had was at the church of Christ at 56th Street and Warrington Avenue.

Ken had 60 years of higher education teaching, including teaching undergraduate and graduate students intro to fitness and wellness courses to exercise kinesiology, physiology, and anatomy and physiology (A&P). Most recently, Ken was retired from Southwest Tennessee Community College (STCC) in Memphis, Tennessee as Assistant Professor. However, he first began teaching at Rutgers University as a Visiting Instructor, teaching P.E. courses at night while a grad student at Temple. He also taught at the following higher education institutions: Northeast Christian Junior College in Villanova, PA, coaching basketball, cross country, soccer, and baseball; Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, as an Assistant Professor, coaching water polo and swimming; Navajo Community College, Tsaile, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation, where Ken served as Athletic Director as well as helped coach basketball; Shelby State Community College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as Athletic Director and taught health and P.E. courses; Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, as a tenured professor, teaching a variety of health and P.E. courses, remaining with DSU for 15 years before retiring.

Ken retired for one summer, but after becoming bored and restless, applied for a biology adjunct teaching position at STCC, and was hired. The following semester, he was asked to teach one A&P course, as well. Eventually, what was supposed to be a part-time teaching job developed into a full-time Assistant Professor position for Ken, and retirement was in the wind. Up until being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Ken was in classrooms teaching A&P. He loved teaching college students, helping them succeed to their fullest potentials.

Not only was Ken a successful educator, as an accomplished athlete, he completed the Boston Marathon twice, and ran countless 10Ks, 5Ks, and 4-miler races. Even more impressive, during the spring of 1967, while teaching at Northeastern Christian, Ken challenged himself to set a sit-up record in Temple University’s Health and Physical Education & Recreation department. Ken completed 10,000 consecutive sit-ups, at the rate of 1,600 per hour, within six hours and nine minutes. He set a record of 3rd best in the world unofficially, at the time.

Being a lifelong learner, Ken was a veracious reader. He read fiction, non-fiction, classic and popular literature, plus a variety of magazines on political news and the arts. His favorite fiction writer was Louis Lamour, plus he had an adoration for John Steinbeck, especially, “Grapes of Wrath.” Ken’s favorite non-fiction writers were Kurt Vonnegut and John Updike. He was known for reading three or four books at a time, and was always seen with a book in his hand.

Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Lucia DuBois Vanderpool, their daughter, Melanie Denise Vanderpool Jerden, grandson, James Gilbert Hodge, and nephew, Mark Rockford LaMarr. Plus, his parents, Jesse James Vanderpool and Nancy Adelaide Hatfield, sister, Jessie Faye Vanderpool, and half-brother, Billy Ray “Bill” Hibbert. He is survived by his children, Suzanne Vanderpool Hodge (Wally), Kenneth Gene Vanderpool, Jr. (Jo Ann), and Nancy Kathleen Vanderpool Manning. Ken is also survived by seven grandchildren, plus a large number of nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.

Family and friends will gather Saturday, May 1st at 10:00a.m for a memorial service at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, where those attending are asked to wear masks and follow COVID-19 protocol. The service will also be streamed live on Facebook. Visitation begins at 9:00.

Dr. Vanderpool’s family greatly appreciates the nursing staff, care givers, and volunteers of Baptist Reynolds Hospice House for all their loving kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity bestowed upon Dr. Vanderpool while he was under their care.