Maryville College mourns passing of beloved former biology professor Dr. Robert Ramger
May 14, 2025
Former Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Robert Ramger ’56 passed away in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 2. He was 90.
“He taught biology, but more than that, he taught us to look — really look — at the small, beautiful things most people miss,” reads Ramger’s obituary, published through Dignity Memorial. “To know him was to be offered a book, a piece of trivia about phytoplankton, and a warm, unhurried conversation that made you feel like the only person in the world.”
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, June 13, at Starmount Presbyterian Church in Greensboro.
Ramger came to Maryville College from Pinellas Park, Florida, in 1952 to play baseball for Coach Lombe Honaker. His dreams of playing for the major leagues evolved into dreams of a career in dentistry, so he pursued a degree in Biology. But an offer to teach biology months after graduation led to a 42-year career with the students, faculty and staff of Maryville College.
He earned a master’s degree in embryology and a doctorate in limnology, both from the University of Tennessee. He completed additional courses and training at Vassar College and the University of Minnesota. Ramger guided senior theses and regularly taught courses in ecology and invertebrate zoology in the major, and principles in scientific investigation in the Core Curriculum. For many years, he taught a “Human Sexuality” course during Interim in January, and took a group of students to St. John in the Virgin Islands for a week of marine life study in May.
Always interested in water quality, Ramger established a partnership with the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) that gave his students the experience of monitoring coolant water from ALCOA’s production facilities. They provided testing services for seven years until regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency required the work of certified labs. He later formed a relationship with the Little River Watershed Association and involved his students in testing the water quality of the Little River and cataloging the various species found in its streams.
Ramger’s contributions to the curriculum and to Maryville College students went beyond the study of biology. In 1968, following the tragic death of his Deaf older brother, Harold, Ramger was inspired to honor his brother by expanding the familiarity of American Sign Language among the hearing population. His initial three-week Interim course “Let’s Communicate with a Deaf Person” evolved into the College’s groundbreaking ASL-English Interpreting major. Established in 1974 and the first of its kind in the United States, the program celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2024-2025 academic year.
He inspired scores of students to pursue science and teaching. In a column published in FOCUS, the College’s alumni magazine, in 1999, Amy Ralston Vagnier ’86 described Ramger as her “first real teacher” and wrote that he was the reason she became an educator. (Vagnier is finishing her 39th year with Maryville City Schools, most recently serving as assistant director of schools.)
“He opened the door to learning for me by conveying his passion for biology,” she wrote. “Through field trips to wade in the muck looking for pond critters and invitations to his home for study sessions, he opened his heart and life to his students. Guiding and teaching rather than lecturing, he ignited a burning desire for learning. I grew to love science and began to think about majoring in elementary education.”
Survivors include wife Sue Kindred Ramger ’70, three children and their families, including granddaughter Katherine Nadler ’12.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Harold Ramger Scholarship fund at Maryville College, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Maryville, TN 37804 or to Starmount Presbyterian Church in Greensboro.
