In memoriam: David P. Roselle, former professor, provost, and Graduate School dean
David P. Roselle, a former Virginia Tech mathematics professor, Graduate School dean, and provost died April 15. He was 84.
Roselle ascended into the ranks of Virginia Tech leadership after serving as a professor and would go on to become president of two universities.
Early in his career Roselle was a highly regarded mathematician and taught at the University of Maryland, Louisiana State University, and Virginia Tech. He graduated from West Chester University and received his Ph. D. in mathematics from Duke University.
In 1974, he joined the mathematics faculty as a full professor and moved to Blacksburg with his wife, Louise, and two young children.
Roselle loved Virginia Tech and Blacksburg and remained an avid Hokie fan for the rest of his life. He shared his enthusiasm for the university with his grandson, John Koenig, who is now a junior in the Pamplin College of Business and drummer for the Virginia Tech Jazz Ensemble.
Roselle became dean of Virginia Tech's Graduate School in 1979 and served as provost from 1983 to 1987 before becoming the president of the University of Kentucky.
During his tenure at Kentucky, he led the school during a time when the university was responding to official National Collegiate Athletics Association allegations of misconduct on the part of the basketball program, in the area of recruiting. Roselle was recognized for his honest and thorough approach when he was named Kentucky Sportsman of the Year in 1989.
In 1990, he was appointed president of the University of Delaware, a position he held for 17 years. He successfully led the university through a capital campaign, tripling the university’s endowment. He retired in 2007 and assumed the position of executive director of Winterthur Museum for 10 years.
Roselle had two buildings named for him, one at the University of Delaware, the Louise and David Roselle Center for the Arts, and the other at the University of Kentucky, Roselle Hall.
He was known by family and friends as deeply kind, happy, humble, and calm. He leaves behind a loving family and a large community of friends and colleagues.
Roselle is survived by his wife, Louise; their son, Arthur Roselle, and his wife, Paige; their daughter, Cynthia Koenig, and her husband, Trevor; their five grandchildren: Charles, David, and Faye Roselle, and Trevor and John Koenig. He is also survived by his sister, Sue Ellen Roselle and her daughter, Beth Brown; his sister-law, Marsha Roselle; and her son Paul Roselle.
Roselle was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Known to his grandchildren as GoDad, his family said his greatest joy was watching and hearing about the lives of his children and grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the David P. Roselle Scholarship in Mathematics at Virginia Tech. The scholarship is awarded to a mathematics student every year.
For more information, see his full obituary.
