As an English major in the late 1970s, David Hogge had little reason to rub shoulders with William Lavery. But Hogge's early-morning trips to Williams Hall brought him into nearly daily contact with Lavery, Tech's president from 1975 to 1987.
"I happened to cross paths with Dr. Lavery and he was always a cheerful fellow, he would always ask how you were doing," said Hogge, who graduated in 1977 and is now a freelance writer in Richmond.
Lavery, who at 78 died of complications from a five-month struggle with esophageal cancer Monday night in New River Valley Medical Center, was widely described by friends and colleagues as both a great leader and a warm, gregarious human being with a keen interest in how those around him were doing.
"Bill Lavery was genuinely a nice guy," said Ray Smoot, university treasurer and chief operating officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation. "You hear the term, 'He's a nice guy,' a lot. This guy was what you saw was what you got. There was no put-on for Bill Lavery."
Lavery's tenure saw the opening of the Cranwell International Center, the creation of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, the founding of the Corporate Research Center and the expansion of faculty research, pushing Tech into the top 50 research insitutions at the time. While it ended with the hiring of head football coach Frank Beamer in 1987, Lavery also faced strong criticism for an academic scandal that shook the university's athletic community and for his handling of a land-swap where the university exchanged 247 acres of land along US 460 for a 1,700-acre tract of farmland. It was the backlash generated by these two incidents that eventually led Lavery to step down Dec. 31, 1987.
Jim McComas, Lavery's successor who died in 1994, was gracious in his regard for his predecessor. It was this gesture that both confirmed Lavery's legacy and eased his transition from the presidency.
"(Lavery) held his head high and he transitioned very effectively and was definitely embraced by Jim McComas. Jim didn't lose an opportunity to cite Bill's achievements," said Tom Tillar, vice president for alumni relations. "It pleased everyone here that Bill stayed as an active member of the community and of the university and was involved in things."
While many thought the criticism severe, Lavery's devotion to the institution kept him in Blacksburg.
Ending his connection to Virginia Tech, "wasn't his nature," said Smoot, who first met Lavery when Smoot was president of the student government association in 1979 and Lavery was vice president for finance under President T. Marshall Hahn. "He couldn't walk away from it. He just had too much regard for it."
In his post-presidential years, Lavery served as the William B. Preston Professor of International Affairs until 1991 and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U. S. Agency for International Development's advisory committee, among other roles.
He also served as a mentor to Pamplin Scholar and sophomore animal and poultry sciences major Erin Heller on her Pamplin Project involving dog walking and adoption through the veterinary college.
Heller said Lavery, "wasn't quite a grandfather, but almost. He always had good ideas about how I should go about doing things, and he was always really gracious and welcomed me to his home and made me feel really comfortable when I was there talking to him. He never came across like an authority figure."
Lavery, who grew up in western central New York, graduated from Michigan State University in 1953 and, after a stint in the army, achieved advanced degrees from George Washington University and the University of Wisconsin before coming to Tech in 1966. In a 1992 interview with Virginia Tech Magazine, Lavery said, "after 26 years, this is home. Long ago we decided that when we left the presidency we would stay right here and serve Virginia Tech and the community."
The "we" he referred to is his wife, Peggy, who by all accounts was a close compatriot in both Lavery's life and presidency. Heller noticed their special bond during several trips to Lavery's home.
"Whenever I went over to talk to him, his wife was always there with us joining in on the conversation," Heller said. "It was always them together."
Lavery is survived by his wife, four children (Mike, Debbie, Laurie and Mary) and 12 grandchildren.
"We were always having family get-togethers," growing up, said Sean Lavery, a junior finance major. "Every holiday was spent here up in Blacksburg. Ever since I can remember I've been here at Tech and hanging out with him, and I was lucky enough to have been here for the last two-and-a-half years so I could go over to my grandparent's house and see them."
Even away from formal university responsibility, Lavery remained engaging and in touch with a bevy of long-time friends.
"After he retired he would call and the first thing out of his mouth was 'Minnis, how are you doing?'' said Minnis Ridenour, a senior fellow for resource development who was hired by Lavery in 1974. "He was always deeply interested in that question: How are you doing?' He really had a deep interest in people."