Kent State employee Allan D. Carroll, 51, passed away Dec. 14 in his South Lincoln Street home in Kent.

Carroll taught in the English department at Kent State from 1976 to 1982. The same year, he joined the staff of the Admissions Office, where he served as associate director in charge of systems until his death.

“This was very unexpected,” said Mark Ledoux, associate director of admissions. “He was a very dedicated and intelligent person, a real professional.”

“We miss him as a friend and colleague first, but his role and knowledge will never be replaced,” Ledoux said. “We’re going through a difficult time now.”

Carroll oversaw admission systems responsible for application processing, statistics and records. He earned a master’s and doctoral degrees from Kent State.

Chuck Rickard, associate vice president of enrollment services, said the university community thought highly of Carroll and awarded him the 2005 Employee Excellence Award.

“His daughters were the highlight of his life,” Rickard said. “He cared a great deal about people.”

Deborah Craig, coordinator of recruitment and scholarships in Honors College, added, “You went to him when you needed something done. You knew you would get it as near to perfect as it could be.”

Though Carroll maintained a private life, Craig said he was very friendly and provided knowledge when it came to recruitment matters.

Carroll is survived by his daughters Emily and Caitlin, who are students at Mount Union College, his father and sisters, as well as many friends and colleagues at Kent State. The family was unavailable for comment.

Contact safety reporter Michael Lewis at [email protected].