Tom Marshall's students at Robert Morris University knew him as a Shakespearean scholar who taught literature in the Department of Humanities.
The theater crowds at the Robert Morris Colonial Theater in Moon and the South Park Theater recognized him for the varying roles he played in numerous productions.
Thomas A. Marshall II, of Edgeworth, Robert Morris University's head of English studies and its senior faculty member, died Monday, June 25, 2007, at UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland. He was 66.
Born in Cincinnati and raised in Clarksburg, W.Va., Mr. Marshall was one of two children of William and Mary McWhorter Marshall.
While attending Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg, Mr. Marshall worked after school and on weekends at his grandfather's furniture store.
He received his bachelor's and master's degrees at West Virginia University in Morgantown. He was pursuing his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh at the time of his death.
In 1965, Mr. Marshall married Kim Smith, whom he met when they were students at WVU. They arrived in Pittsburgh that year, and Mr. Marshall began his long tenure at Robert Morris, while his wife began her career with Mellon Bank.
David Jamison, dean of RMU's School of Communications and Information Systems, said Mr. Marshall had a strong commitment to the university and its students. "Tom was first and foremost a brilliant educator, with a strong ability to challenge students and a great track record of helping them to succeed," he said.
Mr. Marshall's brother-in-law, Ralph Smith, recalled his commitment to seeing the school receive university status. "Tom was involved all through the process and very instrumental in the university's accreditation," he said.
Mr. Marshall is survived by his wife, Kim Smith Marshall, and a son, Trey Marshall, of Boulder, Colo.
Interment will be private. A fall campus memorial service is being planned.
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