Dr. Kathryn Tucker, Lecturer of history at Troy University, has been awarded the Dr. Robert Kruckeberg Faculty Excellence Award, presented by the University’s Faculty Senate.

The award, which was previously known as the Faculty Senate Excellence Award, was renamed in January in memory of Dr. Robert Kruckeberg, an Associate Professor of History who passed away in December at the age of 43 after a courageous battle with cancer. He had been a member of the TROY faculty since 2012.

The award is presented annually to an outstanding lecturer or adjunct faculty member who demonstrates excellence in the areas of teaching, research and service. It was first presented in 2008.

“Kruck, if you knew him, was the most popular teacher in the History Department,” said Faculty Senate President Dr. Dan Puckett, who presented the award. “He was a valuable member of the faculty and Faculty Senate. He was a brilliant scholar who was taken from us way too soon.”

Dr. Tucker received her bachelor’s degree in history from Wake Forest and earned her Ph.D. in history in 2014 from the University of Georgia, where she also taught courses on U.S., southern and African American history.

At TROY, Dr. Tucker has created and teaches a general education course for interested students on “The African American Experience,” which explores American race relations and African American history, culture, art, politics and legacy. Students in this course have performed original primary research to document lynchings and racial violence in the Troy area, as well as the ongoing impact of this violence and the beliefs that enabled it. Their findings were displayed in an exhibit, “Lynching in Lower Alabama,” at the Troy University Library during the summer-fall of 2018, and are now available online at https://legacyoflynching.com/.

“Receiving the Robert Kruckeberg Faculty Excellence Award in recognition of my work at TROY is an incredible honor,” Dr. Tucker said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with and guide our students on a daily basis, and also to collaborate with such dedicated faculty and colleagues. This award is especially meaningful for me since it honors the memory of my history department colleague Rob, who was himself an excellent teacher, historian, and friend.”