Kendrick Kelley, a Sweetland Writing Center and Lloyd Hall Scholars Program lecturer, passed away yesterday afternoon in Rackham Graduate School.
Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said Kelley, who went by Matthew, collapsed shortly after dismissing a class of graduate students at about 2:35 p.m. yesterday.
Medical officials attempted to resuscitate Kelley, age 41, for 30 to 45 minutes, according to Brown. Kelley was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m.
Brown said the cause of death is currently unknown.
University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said he did not know any more information as of 8 p.m. last night.
A Business School sophomore who wished to remain anonymous said he had Kelley as an instructor in the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program.
“Matt Kelly was a great professor. He was always understanding, and if circumstances came up, he’d never get mad at anyone,” the student said. “And he really had a passion for the stuff that he taught. I had him for photo book class in LHSP, and he would (spend) his own money; he’d get from grants and stuff in order to make the class more interesting.”
The student continued, “He was truly someone that was incredible, and definitely someone valuable to this University and probably one of my favorite teachers.”
LSA junior Sarah Friedman who was taught by Kelley her freshman year said Kelley greatly influenced the way she writes and feels he was able to help many people in the academic community.
“Everyone I knew spoke very highly of him … he’s going to be greatly missed,” Friedman said.
Friedman recounted when Kelley helped her in preparation for a speech at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing in Baltimore in 2009 and noted his exceptional public speaking abilities.
According to the Sweetland Writing Center’s website, Kelley was born in Florida, but raised in South Carolina, Scotland and Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Emory University, as well as a master’s degree and a doctorate from Purdue University.
In 2008, Kelley was given the LSA Excellence in Education Award, which the directors and chairs of an advisory committee within LSA nominated him for.
The Lloyd Hall Scholars Program’s website states that Kelley had a passion for photography and wrote a textbook titled “Writing Literature Through Art.” He had a number of articles and reviews published in various journals as well, including Modern Fiction Studies and Sycamore Review.
— Daily Staff Reporter Rachel Brusstar contributed to this report.