Linda Irwin-DeVitis, who served as dean of the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, from 2010 to 2013, passed away on September 15 at her home in home in Leonardtown, Maryland. She was 71 years old and had suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
A native of Maryville, Tennessee, Dr. Irwin-DeVistis earned a bachelor’s degree and an educational doctorate from the University of Tennessee. Upon completing her doctorate, she received the Dissertation of the Year award from the College Reading Association. She also held a master’s degree in education from the University of New Orleans.
Dr. Irwin-DeVitis taught at the University of Tennessee at Martin, the State University of New York at Oneonta (where she was also chair of the education department), and Binghamton University of the State University of New York System. She was associate dean of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville and dean of the College of Education at Georgia College in Milledgeville before becoming dean at Old Dominion University.