Dr. Richard Cornelius

May 18, 1934 - August 21, 2014

Dr. Richard Meredith Cornelius, age 80, of Dayton went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday morning, August 21, 2014. He was born in Philadelphia, PA, on May 18, 1934, the son of the late Frederick Meredith and Elizabeth Marie (Yahraes) Cornelius, and was also preceded in death by his beloved wife Donna Jean (Black) Cornelius. He received his B.A. in English at Bryan College, earning his M.A. in English and his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. He was Professor of English at Bryan College from 1961 until retiring in 1999. He served his country with the US Army in Orleans, France. Dr. Cornelius was the liaison and archivist for William Jennings Bryan College and the Scopes trial from 1978 - 2009. He was a member of the Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, Modern Language Association, National Council of Teachers of English and the Tennessee Association of Museums. He was a long-time member of Grace Bible Church, where he had served as Elder. He is survived by his son, Rev. Craig (Michele) Cornelius of St. Paul, MN; his daughter, Crista Cornelius of Columbus, OH; and grandchildren Nathan Cornelius and Heather Cornelius of St. Paul, MN. Funeral services with military honors will be held Sunday afternoon at 5:00pm at Grace Bible Church with his pastor, Dr. Doug Russell, officiating. He will be laid to rest next to his wife in Rhea Memory Gardens in Dayton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bryan College, 721 Bryan Dr., Dayton, TN 37321. Please share your memories of Dr. Cornelius on his online guest register at www.vanderwallfh.com. The family will receive friends at the church after 4pm. The family is being served by the Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton, TN.