• The KillerFrogs

Death of Chancellor William Tucker

hometown frog

hometown frog

Active Member
An iconic legend for TCU. Was honored to have met him several times when I went there. As somebody else above mentioned he was a key driver getting our engineering department off the ground. So for those of us in this early classes, he knew us and kept tabs on us as we went thru our 4 years there. Like many others I’ve had a few impromptu lunches w/Dr Tucker. Such a genuine human being that made everybody he met feel special.
Sad day for the university.
 
FrogCop19

FrogCop19

Active Member
Ran into him on Bourbon Str. after we beat Tulane in...'93? Anyways,, me and a bunch of the TCU band members were running around and heard a drunken roar of "GO FROGS!!"

We turned and saw Tucker striding down the street. Us, being quite hammered ourselves, ran over and started screaming and high-fiving him, and asked to take a picture. He slurred, "SURE!" then we asked a random passerby to take it. We all high five again, and he staggered off into the night still screaming "GO FROGS!"

Fast forward a couple weeks after we had the film developed (shut up, you're all old, too!) and there he was, completely stone-cold sober smile, patiently enduring the 15 drunken students that surrounded him screaming at the top of our lungs.

He was a great man.






​
 
Virginia Frog

Virginia Frog

Active Member
Froglaw said:
Signed my diploma.

I disagree on athletics.

We were the worst sports school in the SWC from 1972 to 1979.

Chancellor Tucker saw the problem and hired Wacker and Killer.

Those moves started TCU in the right direct.
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And Tucker was the President of the College Football Association which was the negotiating group for TV/College Football (SEC, SWC, B10, ACC, P10, B8, BigEast) when due to actions by the Supreme Court, then Notre Dame and several other prominent programs and conferences felt they could "do better" (more money) on their own. The Dallas Morning News proclaimed that "the College Football Association as a television entity is dead."

Soon after, the Southwest Conference "bomb" was dropped on us (SMU, Rice and Houston) in 1995. I hoped at that time that Tucker's position and prominence could mitigate this action in respect to TCU and help "put Humpty Dumpty back together again." The new Big Twelve was formed and we were left to the wind. But we overcame it all and are better off today all-around.
 
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Dutch

Dutch

T C U Froooogs
Brog said:
No, we didn't do too well in athletics during his long term, but he was a hell of a nice
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BrewingFrog said:
Always a kind man, with an air of near-Roman dignity. A friend of mine was up in the old press box in the magical '84 season, waiting on the elevator. I think we had just beaten Kansas State 45-10. The doors opened, and Earnest stepped in. To his surprise, Chancellor Tucker, who was speaking to several people nearby with his usual understated dignity, quickly darted into the elevator for the ride down. He was all calm and quiet for a moment, then turned to Earnest and hollered and began jumping with excitement. The two of them whooped and hollered until the elevator neared the bottom, and the Chancellor calmed down, straightened his jacket and tie, and said, "That was fun!" The doors opened, and he stepped out, just as calm and cool as usual.

Chancellor Tucker spoke to a fund raiser at River Oaks C.C. in Houston in the early 90s. He began his little speech with a perfect jest, which his dignified mien only helped: "Where I grew up, in West Virginia, what you call a seven course meal, we call a possum and a six-pack."

It's a little dusty in here...
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He was born and raised in North Carolina, but did a 3 year year stint as President at Bethany College in West Virginia as a prelude to his Chancellorship.
 
Dutch

Dutch

T C U Froooogs
Virginia Frog said:
I knew this day was coming and am sorry it is here today. Dr Tucker was a gentle-man who had a gentle touch. And he was a fundraising beast. I was pleased then (and today) to have contributed to the construction of The Tucker Technology Building. The engineering program was developed early in his tenure as it was considered as a requisite program to the University’s long term strength. I attended TCU Neeley Business School along with daughter/cheerleader Jan and THAT, to all you youngsters out there, was a PRIVILEGE! My best to his family and community.
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Amen. Also he and Jean donated the statue of Addison and Randolph in center campus.
 
Atomic Frawg

Atomic Frawg

Full Member
When I was an undergrad at TCU I was one of the students who met regularly with the Trustees. One meeting Chancellor Tucker was running late, and when he came into the room all the seats at the table were occupied. He casually went and sat on the floor in a nearby corner. I motioned to him that I could get him a seat, but he said he was good to go and didn't want to make a fuss. So he just sat there, unassuming, for the remainder of the meeting, like everything was 100.
 
PurpleBlood87

PurpleBlood87

Active Member
Always remember in The Skiff where the weather information was list on the front a cartoon of him would appear and he would be appropriately dressed for the days weather.
 
Virginia Frog

Virginia Frog

Active Member
OBITUARY:

William E. Tucker, 90, shepherded Texas Christian University through time of growth​


William E. Tucker, more commonly known by family, friends and the community as Bill Tucker, died on Friday, Oct. 14, at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth at the age of 90.

Bill Tucker served as Texas Christian University’s chancellor from 1979 to 1998, a period that current TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini described as a “pivotal time of growth” for the university.

fortworthreport.org

William E. Tucker, 90, shepherded Texas Christian University through time of growth | Fort Worth Report

William E. Tucker, more commonly known by family, friends and the community as Bill Tucker, died on Friday, Oct. 14, at Texas Health Harris Methodist
fortworthreport.org fortworthreport.org
 

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