Judson College mourns together the loss of a beloved instructor and integral member of its community. Dr. Chris Hokanson, Assistant Professor of English and Chair of the Humanities Division, passed away Saturday, August 15 in Boston, from complications related to multiple myeloma.
A memorial service honoring Dr. Hokanson will be held on Sunday, August 30 at 2pm in the Ramsay-McCrummen Chapel on the Judson College campus in Marion, Ala. The service is a part of Judson’s ongoing efforts to remember well the life of Dr. Hokanson, who poured so much of his life into Judson and into Marion from 2010-2015.
Remembered as a brilliant, academically dedicated scholar whose wit, thoughtfulness, and kindness delighted and inspired his colleagues and students, Dr. Hokanson leaves a palpable void in the Judson College community as the new academic year begins. A native of Pleasonton, California and educated at Stanford, Harvard, and Indiana University, Dr. Hokanson served Judson as Department Head and Assistant Professor of English from 2010-2015, and he was a member and deacon at the church of Judson College’s founders, Siloam Baptist Church. The winner of the 2015 Lula and Alton Holley Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching and the 2014 Mary Gibson Thompson Faculty Award for overall contributions to the learning community, Dr. Hokanson’s contributions to Judson and to Marion are innumerable. Dr. Scott Bullard, Senior Vice President and Academic Dean, describes the College community’s bereavement: “A wonderful teacher, scholar and friend, Dr. Hokanson poured a large portion of his life into Judson College for the last five years. We will mourn his loss together, even as we are comforted by the promise of his eternal rest, the promise that he is no longer in pain.”
Dr. Hokanson’s funeral was held August 21 at the Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, California. Friends may view and post messages on a tribute wall at the Chapel of the Chimes website.