Remembering R.D. Rao

Biology professor R.D. Rao, a member of the Elon faculty since 1969, died April 3.

Known for his colorful lectures and his sense of humor, Rao was renowned throughout the Elon community for his interest in the lives of his students. Nancy Harris, a colleague and close friend, remembers that he loved to socialize informally with everyone -- students and faculty alike.

"He just had a way about him, and he had a great sense of humor," remembers Harris. "He played a large role in why our biology department is so family-oriented. He set the tone that we were a family -- students and faculty. And he loved to spend time with students," Harris says.

While Rao liked to have fun, he was serious about the business of learning, too, says fellow department member Robert Vick. "You had to toe the rope in his class; you didn't come in late to his class, or talk without being asked." But at heart, Rao was a teacher who genuinely enjoyed his students. "He was always so interested in his students, and he loved to do things with them," Vick says. He remembers that Rao would often accompany members of the Elon football team to Zack's in downtown Burlington for hot dogs.

"The department just won't be the same without him," says Vick. "He's been such a constant around here."