For Lou: Many mourn sudden loss of USM professor

BY GARRETT GROVE SM2 REPORTER

Many at the University of Southern Mississippi mourn the sudden death of theatre professor Louis Rackoff. The longtime USM professor was on medical leave and expected to return to campus later this semester, but he passed on Sunday surrounded by loved ones.

Rackoff was considered a giant within the School of Performing and Visual Arts at USM. Since 2005, he has served as a professor and the head of the directing master’s program at USM. Rackoff’s professional career in theatre stretches back to the 1970s.

Condolences from the theatre department and the USM Community poured in on social media. Public and private Facebook groups have collectively amassed hundreds of people to remember the man they known as Lou.

Some who worked with and under Rackoff talked to the Southern Miss Student Media, like Camille Colley. She is an administrative specialist and a graduate of USM’s School of Visual and Performing Arts.

She specifically remembered Rackoff’s devotion to students.

“The students were Lou’s life,”

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