Patriot Salute

Tom & Kathy Fish

Forever Patriots

Many alumni remember Tom or Kathy Fish as their STRIPE in the INSIGHTS summer orientation program. Others hear their names and think back to sitting in the Bennett Building in an English class like Tom’s Literary Criticism course or Kathy’s infamous Descriptive Linguistics. (Those memories are probably strong; enduring 16 weeks of intense brain-bending does that to a person.) English major or not, thousands of alumni had great experiences on campus with the Fishes before their retirement in 2019. The fond memories are mutual.

“One of Kathy’s favorite memories ever is a student of Cuban descent from Miami who experienced Halloween trick-or-treating in a small town and absolutely loved it,” said Tom. “My favorite experiences, though, were always in the classroom and the constant discovery of teaching as a performance art.”

Kathy said, “I enjoyed knowing everybody and everybody knowing me. I took pride in getting to know my students, and of course writing classes provide that opportunity. I liked knowing colleagues for years so that even if we didn’t socialize off campus, we still were good friends.”

Tom and Kathy were added to Cumberlands’ payroll on July 1, 1984, right after they had closed on their new house in Williamsburg. The owners of the Montgomery Ward store in town let the Fishes order furniture and kept it for them until they arrived. Kathy began as an instructor of English and worked her way up to full professor in addition to co-directing the INSIGHTS program for more than 20 years. Tom began as an assistant professor of English, worked his way up to full professor, became the first chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and served as English department chair before moving into administration as associate dean of academic affairs and later as dean of undergraduate studies, retention, and assessment.

“Despite Cumberlands’ and Williamsburg’s small size, the institution and hometown offered us lots of opportunities for professional growth and exploration,” they said. “And Williamsburg was a great place to raise our two daughters.”

In classic Cumberlands fashion, the Fishes spread their positive influence outside school walls and into the community. In addition to serving their church in numerous ways, they were always active at Williamsburg Independent while their girls were in school. Tom even kept the clock for the Lady Jackets basketball team and served as president of the booster club.

It’s thanks in large part to the Fishes that several programs, organizations, and procedures at Cumberlands exist and have succeeded. Kathy helped start Cumberlands’ chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta, the freshman honor society. Tom established the local chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society, in the 1980s and helped create the university’s tenure and promotion procedures. Perhaps most significantly, he provided leadership in the three decennial reaccreditation efforts for the university, served on long-range planning committees, and contributed to the development of many of Cumberlands’ new academic programs.

All good things come to an end, and, as the Fishes approached the summer of 2019 – the culmination of 35 years of service to the university – they agreed it was a good time to exit.

“We wanted more freedom to visit family, especially our four grandchildren, and to travel just by ourselves,” they said. “We enjoy watching from a safe distance the huge changes and developments happening in higher education as we all move further into the 21st century.”

Once they are able, they hope to travel internationally. After pouring themselves into Cumberlands with all their hearts, they’re enjoying every bit of this new season of their lives.