#PeopleOfPeace: Beloved WPU Professor, Dr. Carol Hiscoe, Passes Away
William Peace University is deeply saddened by the passing of a beloved faculty member, Dr. Carol Hiscoe. The entire William Peace community – students, alums, faculty, and staff – were touched by Dr. Hiscoe, and with her passing we have all suffered a tremendous loss. Over her nearly 25 years of service to Peace through all its changes – as a women’s two-year college, a women’s four-year college, and finally as a four-year, co-educational institution – Dr. Hiscoe dedicated herself, in profound and selfless ways, to Peace students and her colleagues, both faculty and staff, to teaching and service.
“Words cannot express the positive impact that Dr. Hiscoe had on our students, faculty, and staff.”
She was a wonderful teacher, both to her students and to her colleagues, and she worked tirelessly and cheerfully to benefit everyone with whom she came in contact. Her classroom extended far beyond the traditional limits, as she could be seen helping students, alums, faculty and staff in her office – which has long been a campus hub – the hallway, small conference rooms, the library, and outside on the beautiful campus she loved.
Dr. Hiscoe came to Peace in 1992 and served in many roles throughout her time at the college, including as English Department Chair. Her first priority was always those around her, especially her students. One former student writes that, “She made a wonderful lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her,” and a colleague writes, “Words cannot express the positive impact that Dr. Hiscoe had on our students, faculty, and staff.”
Carol Hiscoe is loved by the people at Peace for her selfless regard for others and also her cheerful responses to adversity. A colleague notes, for example, that when Flowe Building’s heat did not work on a particularly cold morning recently, Dr. Hiscoe “suggested we all find the most obnoxiously colored bathrobes to wear – practical, helpful, and rebellious all in one: That was Carol.”
“She made a wonderful lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”
A native of Raleigh, Dr. Hiscoe always wanted to serve in higher education. She received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Duke University, and both her MA and BA from NC State University. Her favorite Raleigh restaurant was Seaboard 18, located just steps away from campus, and when she wasn’t in the classroom, she was usually reading 21st Century fiction. She was a proud James B. Duke Fellow, leader in Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, a winner of the WPU McCormick Distinguished Teaching Award (2001, 2011) and Alumnae Distinguished Service Award (2006), and served as the WPU Faculty Advancement Committee Chair.
Dr. Hiscoe made a lasting impression on all of us, and she will be missed. The University will hold an event in early November to honor our friend, colleague, and teacher. More details will be shared at a later date.
The family has announced that a funeral service and memorial gathering have been set for Thursday, November 3, 2016. The funeral ceremony is at 2:30 pm in Duke Chapel and the memorial gathering is from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Trinity House of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 549 Blount St., Raleigh. An inspiring obituary can be found here.