College mourns passing of Dr. Ken Tuck, Medallion recipient and former board member
April 4, 2026
Dr. Kenneth D. Tuck ’54, former member of Maryville College’s Board of Directors and 2010 recipient of the Maryville College Medallion, MC’s highest award, passed away on March 31 in Moneta, Virginia. He was 94.
“Ken and I enjoyed many conversations over the past several years, and Sara and I traveled to California to visit Ken and Sara in 2022,” said Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker. “Ken’s pride in — and dedication to — the College was simply extraordinary, and we are a better institution because of him.”
Tuck’s dedication to Maryville College was born of gratitude. In an interview for an alumni profile that was printed in the 2003 President’s Report, he said: “I consider it a success to work enough years and live long enough to be able to say ‘thank you’ to the people and the institutions that got you there.”
In saying ‘thank you’ to Maryville College, he gave back to his alma mater in numerous ways. His service to the College spanned decades and included leadership of the Alumni Association and the Advancement Committee of the Board of Directors. The generosity of Ken and Sara over the years qualified them for membership in the Founder’s Circle – the highest level – of the Isaac Anderson Society. They established endowed scholarships for music students and international study; supported construction and renovation projects, including Bartlett Hall, the Clayton Center for the Arts, and Anderson Hall; and provided funding for science laboratories and professional development opportunities for faculty.
In helping present Tuck with the Medallion in 2010, then-Board colleague and friend Elizabeth Bulette called him “the Gold Standard of Trusteeship.”
“There are numerous examples of ways in which Ken has given back to his alma mater, but one thing in particular that makes him a remarkable trustee is his ability to galvanize his fellow directors, fellow alumni, friends of the College and the community to want to be a part of this outstanding institution,” Bulette said. “Ken’s unwavering passion for his alma mater, his desire to not just show up, but to show up informed, engaged and excited about all of Maryville’s possibilities — given its faculty, its students, its alumni and friends, its leadership, its beautiful campus and its worthy mission.”
In addition to wife Sara, Ken is survived by daughters Kathryn Tuck Coats, Elizabeth Tuck Simon, and Caroline Tuck Nold and their families. Grandson Peter Coats ’09 is a graduate of the College. He is also survived by a brother and a sister and their families.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, April 10, at Oakey’s South Chapel in Roanoke, Virginia. A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m., Saturday, April 11, at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke. A graveside service will follow. A reception will be held at The Taubman Museum.
A dream realized
Tuck grew up on a tobacco and dairy farm in Moneta. With a dream of pursuing a career in medicine that was inspired by a family doctor, he was encouraged to continue his studies at Maryville College by the town dentist, former Maryville College student Douglas Q. Handy ’54. Tuck enrolled in 1950 and graduated four years later, completing a major in Biology. He earned his medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1958.
In 1959, Tuck joined the Public Health Service in San Francisco, working as an ear, nose and throat specialist. He turned his attention to ophthalmology in 1961, entering a residency program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He served with the Indian Health Service in Arizona before returning to Roanoke to set up his practice in 1964.
He was an ophthalmologist for more than 50 years, often seeing as many as 40 patients a day. Even after he left full-time practice, he volunteered at the Bradley Free Clinic in Roanoke and the free clinic in Vero Beach, Florida.
A doctor and a leader
While he frequently said that “80 percent of success is showing up,” Tuck did more than show up for the causes he believed in, as evidenced by his legacy of leadership in the medical profession. He served as president of the Virginia Society of Ophthalmology, president of the Medical Society of Virginia and president of the Foundation of the Medical Society of Virginia. He was a clinical assistant professor at the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
As president of the American Academy for Ophthalmology (AAO), Tuck was instrumental in bringing doctors from developing countries to the United States for education and training with leaders in eye care. Through this outreach program (a partnership between the AAO, Rotary Club International and the World Health Organization), sight has been restored now to millions who were living with avoidable blindness.
Tuck’s awards and honors include Maryville College’s Alumni Citation, the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Roanoke Valley Academy of Medicine, the Award of Honor by the Virginia Society of Ophthalmology, the Salute to Service Award from the Virginia Medical Society, a resolution of commendation from the Virginia General Assembly, and Rotary International’s highest honor, the Service Above Self Award.
