In memoriam: Peter W. Kipp, former general manager of Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center

Peter W. Kipp, who retired from Virginia Tech as general manager of the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center, died Nov. 24 in Roanoke at age 79. 

Kipp was also an instructor in the Pamplin College of Business who taught lodging management classes while serving from 1987 to 1997 as general manager of Donaldson Brown, the hotel on campus that was the forerunner of The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

Rick Perdue, head of the hospitality and tourism management department in the Pamplin College of Business, said, "Under his leadership, the Donaldson Brown property was a teaching facility for most of our classes, but particularly the lodging management, food and beverage management, and conventions and meetings management classes."

John Dooley, vice president for Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, said, "Peter was a great person. He was a consummate professional. His leadership over 10 years at Donaldson Brown was truly remarkable. He was always a welcoming individual, and his understanding and practice of hospitality set a very high mark."

Kipp was a founder and first president of the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau in the early 1980s, where he was known as a visionary planner, and he received the bureau’s Outstanding Leadership Award. His professional accomplishments included serving as president of the Virginia chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. He was voted an Honorary Life Member in 1998 by Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.

In addition to his work at Virginia Tech, Kipp also held positions at the Greenbrier in West Virginia and the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, where he was general manager.

A Massachusetts native, Kipp served in the U.S. Army in Germany. He did volunteer work for many organizations in the community including Meals on Wheels and the Blue Ridge Parkway Association. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sugar Kipp; sons Kevin Kipp; Todd Kipp and wife, Beth; and Darren Kipp; and grandchildren Matthew, Meredith, and Daniel Kipp. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Roanoke Valley Hospitality Association Scholarship Shoot-Out Fund. Send donations to John Dudley, Residence Inn, Roanoke Airport, 3305 Ordway Dr., Roanoke, Va., 24017.