McKenzie, Tenn. – Bethel University and the athletic department is mourning the passing of Bethel Athletics Hall-of-Fame member Dr. Charles W. Mayo. Dr. Mayo was inducted into the hall-of-fame in 1992.
Dr. Mayo passed away peacefully at home on August 31, 2022. He was a faithful Christian, loving husband and father, proud grandfather and respected educator.
Dr. Mayo was born on September 1, 1936, in Dyersburg, TN. As a child, Dr. Mayo contracted bulbar polio and was in isolation in Memphis for months in an iron lung. After being told he could never play athletics and realizing how lucky he was to have survived, Dr. Mayo discovered a lifelong love of basketball. While at Milan High School, he was the first player in the State of Tennessee to score over 1000 points in a season, averaging over 30 points per game and 52 points in a single game, all at a time before the 3-point rule was introduced. In high school, he was All-State two consecutive years, and his jersey was retired at Milan High School. He would later teach English and coach basketball at his alma mater, leading his team to the state finals in his third year as head coach.
After high school, Dr. Mayo attended and played basketball at LSU and Memphis State before transferring to Bethel College to play ball and complete his undergraduate degree. At Bethel, he led the NAIA nationally in scoring, led the VSAC in scoring two years, was twice named All-Conference, earned Small College All-American and Honorable Mention All-American Honors. His jersey was retired at Bethel, also, and he was inducted into both the Bethel and Gibson County Sports Halls of Fame.
Dr. Mayo served in the Airborne Unit of the US Army and guarded the Demilitarized Zone in Korea.
After service, Dr. Mayo continued his education and earned a Master of Arts degree from Murray State University and a Ph.D. of Philosophy in the English Department at George Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University.
While studying for his post-graduate degrees and teaching and coaching at MHS, Dr. Mayo met the love of his life, Ann Fumbanks from McKenzie, TN. They were married in 1963. Theirs was a true, loving and supportive marriage, and they regularly opened their home to friends, family, students and faculty.
Dr. Mayo joined the faculty of Lambuth College in 1968. He served as Professor of English, Chairman of the English Department and Vice President & Academic Dean at Lambuth College. He also served as Professor, Department Head, Executive Vice President & Dean of Students and Acting President at Lambuth University before his retirement in 2009. He received the Outstanding Faculty Award numerous times. He was known for his integrity and dry wit and as a hard, but fair teacher who always expected the most from and cared about his students and fellow teachers.
Dr. Mayo and his wife joined First Presbyterian Church when they moved to Jackson in 1968. He served as Deacon and Elder on the church’s Session and taught the Foundations Sunday School class for over 40 years. He also taught a monthly Sunday School class at First Methodist Church in Jackson for many years. Dr. Mayo was a teacher, through-and-through.
Dr. Mayo was preceded in death by his beloved son, Clay; his parents, BC & Reavis Mayo; his brother, Kenny; and his sister and brother-in-law, Anne & John Austin.
He is survived by his wife of over 59 years, Ann F Mayo: son, Ben Mayo (Dawn); daughter, Ginny Brimm (Tom); daughter-in-law, Lou Mayo; and his grandchildren: Brooks (Lydia) and Banks Mayo (Clay); Dylan, Drew and Trey Mayo (Ben); and Charlie & Stella Crenshaw (Ginny).
A Memorial Service was held at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, TN on Sunday, October 2, 2022.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to First Presbyterian Church or the Dr. Charles W Mayo Endowment Scholarship at the University of Memphis, Lambuth Campus in Jackson.