Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis

The family of Kenneth Richard Russell Gros Louis mourns his death, as the Indiana University community grieves the loss of its University Chancellor Emeritus and a colleague whose leadership and example helped to realize the central purposes of a university education. For his entire life Ken treasured his family and for more than fifty years, he supported and served IU students and faculty.

Ken Gros Louis was born to Albert and Jeannette Gros Louis on Dec. 18, 1936 in Nashua N.H. and grew up in the small town of Wilton, N.H. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1955, received a Master of Arts with Honors in Renaissance Literature in 1960 from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature, focusing on Medieval and Renaissance Literature, from the University of Wisconsin in 1964, where he met his late wife Dee.

Ken was recruited by several schools, but choose Indiana because “it was the only place that introduced faculty members by their first name.” He joined the faculty of the English Department in 1964; served as Chair from 1973–1978, and then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1978-1980. He served as Vice President of the Bloomington campus from 1980-1988 and from 1988-2001 as Vice President of Indiana University and Chancellor of the Bloomington campus. He retired in 2001, but was asked to serve as the Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Bloomington Chancellor from 2004-2006. He was named University Chancellor in 2006, an honor he shared with Chancellor Herman B Wells, a mentor he greatly admired. Ken received many awards in his lifetime and was inducted into the Indiana Academy in 1991.

Many knew Ken’s caring ways. His policy with anyone--particularly undergraduates—was simple: his door remained open. A brilliant teacher who received an award for distinguished teaching early in his career, he enjoyed mentoring students, faculty, and administrators. He was welcoming, easy to approach, and offered a listening ear as well as sage advice and sometimes a few lines of poetry. He managed to balance the needs, important issues, and feelings of individuals across countless groups in the university during his years of service. He handled University issues with diplomacy, tact, compassion, concern, and wry humor.

An avid reader, Ken loved learning and sharing knowledge. He was an engaged and enthusiastic teacher of courses on Shakespeare and Medieval Literature. During his service as Chancellor, he always made time to conduct a seminar in literature for Wells Scholars. His contributions to a two-volume collection of essays on the Bible as literature show his interpretative gifts and his talent for engaging readers as well as students in the pleasures of learning. He mentored and was a true friend to countless students and opened his house to them for dinners. With Dee and his second wife Diana, he was host or guest at many convivial evenings, often enthusiastically engaging in games or authoritatively serving as time-keeper without the assistance of a watch. As chair and dean, he gave close attention to the appointment and advancement of women members of the faculty. He worked tirelessly for diversity, supporting many African American scholars and establishing coverage for same-sex partners and for the LGBTQ Cultural Center.

His generosity extended into the larger community. He served on the MCCSC Foundation Board, worked for the United Way, and participated in innumerable academic organizations. Many friends received Salvation Army dinners donated in their name as a Christmas gift. He supported the St. Joseph Indian School Fund for many years, and continued to assist his wife Dee’s many charities—wildlife conservancies, veteran organizations. Even though he received requests for contributions addressed to Ken Louis Gros and Ken Gros Louis or Louis Gros, he often paid for all three of those people.

Ken was so proud of his daughters and his granddaughters. He savored every accomplishment and was there for any difficulty they faced. Seeing his granddaughters growing into warm, intelligent young women was a particular source of pride. He displayed years of school pictures on his fridge and cheered their successes. Most of all, he imparted his wonderful sense of humor. He was always joking with a sly smile, a droll comment, followed by a knowing look. His grandchildren continued to enjoy his unique spirit as they got older and will continue to live by what he emulated: to be kind, understanding, and embrace a sense of humor.

Ken will be sadly missed by his daughters, Julie and Amy, Amy’s partner Christian, granddaughters Ariana and Sofia; his brother Francis and his wife Shirley; his nieces Cheryl and Missy and nephew Brian, as well as the innumerable students, faculty and staff whose lives he impacted in countless ways.

Public visitation will be held on Wednesday, Oct, 25th, from 4-8 pm at the Day & Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home located at 4150 E. 3rd Street. A celebration of his life will be held at Indiana University in spring 2018. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis Scholarship fund:

https://kengroslouis.indiana.edu/memorial-service.html