As Fall 2012 semester nears its end,
we had a special colloquium – “A Celebration of the Scholarship of Dr. John
Rehder on the Publication of his Last Book” – on Thursday, November 29, 2012, in
honor of Dr. John Rehder. The special colloquium was held in the Great Room of
the International House (I-House) on campus.
John Redher's wife, Judy, and their children, Ken and Karen at the November 29
colloquium celebrating the publication of John's last book, Tennessee Log
Buildings. With the family are the colloquium speakers, Ron Foresta of UT
Geography; John Morgan, formerly John's student and now a professor at Emory and
Henry College; and, standing in front with a copy of John's book, Scot
Danforth, the director of UT Press.
Dr. John B. Rehder, PhD, longtime
Professor at the University of Tennessee, passed away on April 19, 2011. He
joined the Department of Geography in 1967. Dr. Rehder earned a Masters and
Ph.D. from LSU, one of the preeminent cultural and historical geography
programs in the country. He earned a B.A. in 1963 from East Carolina University
in Greenville, North Carolina.
Dr. Rehder’s research focused on
writing scholarly books that examined the historical and cultural geography of
subjects in the South. Two earlier books, Delta Sugar: Louisiana’s Vanishing
Plantation Landscape (1999) and Appalachian Folkways (2004) both published by the
Johns Hopkins University Press, won prestigious book awards. Dr. Rehder served
on the Board of Directors of University of Tennessee Press. In 2012, the Press
published his third book, Tennessee Log Buildings: A Folk Tradition. This most
recent work is a product of over four decades of fieldwork and contains over
one hundred images, including beautiful photography.
Dr. Rehder enjoyed fishing, camping,
boating, skiing, and hiking along with singing in the West Hills Baptist Church
Choir. He was a devoted husband to wife Judy Rehder for over 48 years and a
loving father and grandfather. In February, 2011 he proudly attended the award
dinner where his daughter, Karen Rehder was recognized as the Knox County
Middle School Teacher of the Year. “Opa” especially treasured time on the golf
course with his son, Ken and grandson, Allen and also showering his
granddaughter, Emma Caroline with stuffed animals.
In May of 2011, the Department of
Geography held “A Celebration of John Rehder’s Life” at the home of Dr. Carol
Harden, where colleagues and students recounted stories and memories for
several hours. Judy and Karen Rehder honored the group with their attendance.
Carol Harden, Interim Department Head at the time, captured it best when she
wrote in the UTK Geography Community Blog: “John Rehder's untimely and all too
soon passing…was quite a shock to the whole department. John was a kind man and
a fine colleague and his death has created a large absence in the life and
heart of our department.”
This special colloquium was jointly sponsored
by the Geography Department and the UT Press. Special thanks go to Dr. Ron
Foresta who coordinated and planned this special colloquium.
