Wake Forest University President Emeritus Dr. Thomas K. Hearn, Jr.

Thomas K. Hearn, Jr.

President Emeritus of Wake Forest University, dead at 71.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Thomas K. Hearn Jr., president of Wake Forest University from 1983 until 2005, has died. He was 71.

Hearn died Monday, the school announced. He suffered from brain cancer while serving as president in 2003, was eventually declared cancer-free. He returned to the job a few months later, but announced that he planned to retire in June 2005.

During his presidency, Wake Forest saw college applications double, hired significantly more faculty, and hosted presidential debates in 1988 and 2000. The college also launched an extensive construction and renovation initiative on campus.

Hearn's first major decision at the school was to sever ties with the Baptist State Convention, paving the way for a self-governing structure at the university.