Obituary - Charles Wright Sydnor Jr.
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Dr. Charles Wright Sydnor, Jr., 82, inaugurated as 18th President of Emory & Henry College in 1984, passed away Friday, November 28, 2025.
He was born August 26, 1943, in Jefferson City, TN, but with his family, subsequently moved to Sandston, VA. After graduating from Emory & Henry College in 1965, Dr. Sydnor was awarded a fellowship at Vanderbilt University, where he received both a master's degree and a doctorate in modern German Holocaust history, winning honors for his dissertation.
The current president of Emory & Henry, Dr. Lou Fincher, praised Sydnor for his ability, both through his words and his actions, to identify the essential character of the institution and fortify its relevance to generations of young people searching for purpose. "Rarely does a college president define with such eloquence, passion and decision the potential of the institution and the people who embrace it," she said.
Dr. Sydnor is survived by his wife Joanne Allison Sydnor; sister Nancy Sydnor-Greenberg; children Matthew David Henry Sydnor, Daniel Charles Wright Sydnor, Emily Ruth Marie Spivak and husband, Adam, and Nathaniel Joseph Anson Sydnor and their mother, Linda Ruth Edwards; Kristie Allison Jennings and Karla Jo Allison; grandchildren Anson Silver Hite Sydnor, Jewel Evalea Mattax Sydnor, Ruby Helyn Spivak, Cora Marie Spivak, Lillie Mae Spivak, Olivia Marie Jennings, Abigail Kathleen Jennings and Vincent Joseph Fugo III. Additional survivors include Judy Sydnor, Barbara Young, several nieces and nephews and a wide circle of friends.
Services will be held on Sunday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel of Emory & Henry followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall. A private interment will be held in the Holston Conference Cemetery at Emory.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Charles W. Sydnor, Jr. Endowed Scholarship at Emory & Henry, Office of Philanthropy & Engagement, PO Box 950, Emory, VA 24327 or online at emoryhenry.edu/giving/give-online.
Condolences may be expressed at the Farris Funeral Home website.
