According to an announcement from the VT Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Dr. Paul Torgersen passed away last night at the age of 83:
A message from ISE Department Head Dr. Don Taylor on the passing of Dr. Paul Torgersen, a key member of our department and the Virginia Tech community for almost half a century:
Dear ISE Family,
I am incredibly sad to report that Paul Torgersen passed away last night. As you know, Paul had a number of very difficult health challenges during the past few years, and in spite of his brave confrontation of them, he simply couldn't beat them forever.
I often don't know what to say during times of profound sadness, so I'll keep this note brief. What I would like to say, however, is that Paul brought an incredible amount of happiness into our lives. Each of us can likely recall some funny moment, some generous act, or some selfless sacrifice that Paul made for us. Even though he held positions of great responsibility at Virginia Tech, he had a way of connecting with us on a personal level, and I believe that we are all better because we had the good fortune to share some time with him.
At this time we have no details about funeral arrangements. We will forward this information as it becomes available.
Even as we grieve, let's remember his example. Perhaps the best way to deal with our loss is to serve the Virginia Tech community, just as Paul would have wanted.
Sincerely,
Don Taylor
Dr. Torgersen was an inspiring man who loved Virginia Tech very much. He'll be missed. If you didn't know Dr. Torgersen or would like to learn more about him, here are a few links:
VT Bio
Wikipedia Page
WDBJ 7 Article about teaching his last class
CT Article about his time at Tech
Comments
RIP Torg
Rest in peace, Dr. Torgersen. You left behind an incredible legacy.
Ironic that I read this while sitting in the building bearing his name.
RIP Dr. Torgersen.
This is unexpected, and saddening. Prof. Torg was the only professor I had who I at all looked up to. I still keep my notes from his class in my briefcase at work. Dude just genuinely just wanted to improve the lives of all those around him. True embodiment of a Hokie.
:(
I had the honor of learning from him in his last class. He was a great educator and person to the end. Truly sad news
I will miss him. I was taking his class when he was made President at Tech. He would come to class at times and rant about the politics of being president and always was up for a tennis game with current and former students.
I took a class from him my freshman year. He hadn't been President for too long. It was great class, and he was very engaging. I really enjoyed that class.
We had a friendly rude nickname for him. President Torque-me-some. It was meant in an affectionate way the same way we had other rude nicknames that were actually meant as terms of endearment for each other in the way that only certain types of guys can get.
Sad day, he was a great man and truly loved Virginia Tech
RIP. You left some big shoes to fill.
Took his class in 2008. Really cared about Virginia Tech and its students
He was a great man. I loved his class. Learned so much just from listening to his stories.
I'm looking at my VT diploma signed by him, hanging in the wall of my office.
He did so much for VT, but perhaps most impressive to me is that he continued to educate for his entire tenure. He taught us 'regular' students even as Dean, President, etc.
VT suffered a great loss with his passing.
I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Torg a handful of times post retirement since he shared a locker room with me and the other equipment guys. He was an super nice guy.
His commitment & dedication to VT cannot be expressed , a great legacy. RIP !
Oh man, I just was reminiscing about his class the other day. I just moved and found my theory of Org book among my college stuff. He was my favorite professor at tech, and I won't forget the awesome Pizza Parties he held at his house, which btw if you had never been has the most beautiful view I had seen in all my time in the NRV.
He was the only living person to have a building named after them at the time of contruction that I am aware of
I'm curious as to why local media hasn't seemed to pick this up yet?
Not only a great Hokie, but a great man. May his legacy echo for all future generations of Tech engineers.
I was lucky enough to take his Theory of Organization class my senior year. He definitely set a great example for us younger generations on how to treat people. I really appreciated how he invited his entire class to visit his house, which allowed us to hear some awesome stories of his past. Great man!
HokieNation lost a great one. As president, he played a huge role into making VT what it is today . As a professor, I'm sure he had just as big an impact on his students. I know he did for me. He was 100% genuine with every person he met. I saw him a few times after I took his class and he remembered my face and always spoke. I got know some faculty and staff workers (maintenance, janitors, etc) on campus as well and every one of them had nothing but praise for him as a leader. How often can you say that a guy in a role of leadership had a 100% approval rating? Prayers to his family and friends. The man may be gone but his legacy most definitely lives on.
RIP Dr. Torg