Dr. Brian Odom remembered for dedication to teaching and mentorship

Dr. Brian Odom, faculty emeritus of biology, has died after a short battle with cancer. He was 64.

A native of Spartanburg, S.C., Odom is remembered fondly as a teacher and mentor who served the University for 24 years, retiring in 2021. As Wingate's biology department grew in the wake of the establishment of the School of Pharmacy and the Levine College of Health Sciences in the early 2000s, Odom's teaching prowess became more and more important.

Dr. Brian Odom and his wife, Amee.

Odom has the distinction of being the only faculty member to win both of the University's undergraduate teaching honors: In 2004 he received the inaugural Debra M. O'Neal Award for Excellence in Teaching (for a faculty member who has taught at Wingate for eight years or less), and in 2012 he received the Charles and Hazel Corts Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Not only did Dr. Erika Scocco Niland '04 teach alongside Odom for many years in the biology department but he recruited her to Wingate when she was a high-school student. Niland, from Pittsburgh, recalls struggling to understand Odom's southern twang when he called to give her his Wingate sales pitch.

"I couldn't understand a word he was saying," she says, laughing. "He sort of sealed the deal for me coming here. We lived really close to the University of Pittsburgh, and you just put these professors up on this pedestal. … I was blown away that he would call.

"He was such a great educator and truly cared to know and help his students beyond just academia," she adds. "He was like everyone's fun Uncle that had the best advice and the greatest jokes. I will miss him, as will a great deal of people."

Dr. Kevin Winchester, who taught English and creative writing at Wingate for several years, was a good friend of Odom's. The pair spent many mornings "pontificat[ing] and ruminat[ing] about the vagaries of life" prior to their 8 a.m. classes.

Winchester describes Odom as something of a Renaissance man who always had his students' best interests at heart.

"He always saw the best in his students," Winchester says. "He could quote Shakespeare better than most English majors. He was the anchor of our trivia teams. He was a damn good friend, and knowing him made me a better teacher and a better human."

"He was a walking science encyclopedia, a gifted teacher, a loyal friend, and always brought humor into the room," says Jennifer Sutton Smith '95, a good friend of the Odoms.

Friends and former students recall Odom's keen intellect, and he was a co-author or author of many scholarly works during his time at Wingate. But he will forever be remembered for his dedication to teaching.

"It was always clear to me how much Brian cared about his students," says Wingate President Dr. Rhett Brown. "As our biology department grew, he helped to maintain Wingate's commitment to personalized education with his devotion to mentoring students and being an insightful and engaging classroom presence."

Odom is survived by his wife, former longtime University librarian Amee Huneycutt Odom '95. Read more about Brian Odom's life.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to the Wingate University Faculty Emeritus Fund (Wingate University Office of Advancement, Stegall Building, Wingate, NC 28174).

April 10, 2026