Influential Higher Education Leader, Dr. Charles B. Fancher, Sr., age 99, transitioned peacefully on Monday, October 5, 2020, two weeks before his 100th birthday.
Dr. Fancher, a native of Brighton, Alabama, was deeply involved in his adopted city. He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill and was ordained as a Deacon in 1987 and served on numerous church committees.
Following a career in higher education that spanned nearly 30 years, Dr. Fancher retired in 1985 as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the Tennessee Board of Regents, which governed 40 colleges and other post-secondary institutions across the state at that time. He also served as Interim President of Tennessee State University, among other roles at the institution.
“Dr. Fancher was an exceptional individual and worked tirelessly in the educational, religious, and civic arena. He left an indelible impression on us all,” said ABC President, Forrest Harris.
His wife of more than 70 years, Dr. Evelyn Fancher, has been a strong supporter of ABC through the African American Church Historians (AACH), which she founded. Dr. Evelyn Fancher is the retired dean TSU libraries, and librarian for Kelly Miller Smith papers at Vanderbilt for the purpose of ensuring historical legacy of Black churches, through the gathering, preserving, researching, and writing of Church histories. For more than 20 years, numerous churches have written and preserved church history with the aid and direction of this organization. The AACHs has met on the campus of ABC for many years.
Dr. Fancher is survived by his wife of 73 years, two sons, Charles B. Fancher, Jr., of Sciota, Pennsylvania, and Mark P. Fancher, of Ypsilanti, Michigan; a daughter, Adrienne L. Fancher, of Nashville, Tennessee; and a grandson, Toussaint B. Fancher, of Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is also survived by two sisters, Mildred (Fancher) Cross, of Bessemer, Alabama, and Jacqueline (Fancher) Edwards, of Birmingham, Alabama.
His Celebration of Life service was held Monday, October 12, 2020 at First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill.