John Frederick DeVogt, 87, died Sunday, April 29, 2018 at Carilion Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Lexington from cancer complications.

He was a faculty member at Washington and Lee University's School of Commerce for 38 years. Additionally, he faithfully served his community in a variety of ways.

DeVogt was born Oct. 20, 1930 in Detroit, Michigan to Leo Henry and Dorothy Gibbs DeVogt.

The family, which included two older brothers, moved in 1937 to Raleigh, N.C., where John DeVogt grew up and graduated in 1944 from Needham Broughton High School.

He entered the U. S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict in 1951 and served until being discharged as a staff sergeant in 1955. Thereafter DeVogt entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in 1957 with Phi Beta Kappa distinction. While on campus, he became an expert bridge player and helped UNC win the 1957 men's NCAA basketball championship over Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain as an academic tutor for two members of the Tar Heels team.

With degree in hand, John DeVogt moved to Yonkers, N.Y., to work as an industrial engineer for Otis Elevator. There he met Ann Marie Berby, with whom he conducted a whirlwind courtship that culminated with the couple's August 29, 1958 marriage at New York City's Riverside Church.

Part of John DeVogt's marriage pitch was a promise to transport his new bride, a Duluth, Minn., native, to a warmer latitude. And so they moved to Chapel Hill, where John became a doctoral student (the program did not require a master's degree).

In search of a college teaching post, John DeVogt visited Lexington and W&L for the first time in 1962. The job interview went well and he never left. Beginning as an instructor, he steadily climbed the university's career ladder within Newcomb Hall, becoming an assistant professor in 1966, an associate professor in 1967, and a full professor in 1970. He headed the school's department of management, later called business administration, from 1968 to 1990 and retired as a professor emeritus in 2000.

The litany of honors and achievements John DeVogt attained at W&L reflected his omnivorous intellect, and his commitments to his profession, his school and thousands of students he taught. Those included service on the Advisory Committee, Committee on Courses and Degrees, Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, Computer Committee, and Financial Aid Committee, among others. He was also the primary founder, and director for the first three years, of W&L's Summer Scholars Program.

He belonged to Phi Eta Sigma, Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa, and he served as president of the W&L chapters of the latter two honor societies.

In his professional field, John DeVogt was a founding member and holder of nearly every office, including the presidency, of the Southern Management Association, and the winner of its Distinguished Service Award in 1976.

Among his signal achievements was founding W&L's Business Ethics program, an academic innovation widely adopted by many universities. Also, he was an early advocate for and supporter of W&L's 1985 transformative decision to admit women as undergraduate students for the first time.

As a public servant, John DeVogt was a past member and chairman of the Lexington School Board, former president and legislative chairman of the Virginia School Boards Association and a member of the old Joint Committee for Control of Lexington High School. John DeVogt called for the consolidation of Lexington and Rockbridge County school systems years before that advantageous change occurred. He served on the State Advisory Committee on Teacher Education, chaired the advisory board of the Lexington office of the American Federal Savings and Loan Association and was a member of the city's Industrial Development Authority until just before his death.

To express his religious faith, John DeVogt was an elder of the Lexington Presbyterian Church, a member of the congregation's board of deacons and as vice moderator, a member of its session and sang in the church choir for decades. John DeVogt had fine singing voice and developed an affinity for musical theater during his high school years. He put that to use as a cast member for local productions, many of which were staged by Lexington's Henry Street playhouse, where he was also a board member. He also performed in the local community chorus and helped form the High Wheelers Barbershoppers.

As a citizen, he was a longtime member of the Lexington Sunrise Rotary Club and served on committees that promoted the organization's civic mission. In recognition, the Rotarians named John DeVogt as a Paul Harris Fellow, an award bestowed to members of extraordinary contributions.

In his spare time, John DeVogt was an enthusiastic golfer and longtime member of the Lexington Country Club, where he also served on the board of directors. He was also a life-long fan of the Detroit Tigers and his beloved UNC Tar Heels.

John DeVogt's family was the center of his long and productive life. His marriage to Ann DeVogt lasted for more than 58 years, and produced daughters Joanne Elise, who was born in Chapel Hill, and Linda Christine, who was born in Lexington in 1964. Another daughter, Patricia Helen, who was born in Lexington, passed way as an infant.

Immediate survivors include his wife, Ann, of Lexington; daughter, Joanne DeVogt Roczniak, her husband, Dan and sons, Brendan, all of Burke, and Justin, of Philadelphia; and daughter, Linda DeVogt and her husband, Robert Freis, both of Roanoke.

A memorial celebration of John Frederick DeVogt's life will be held Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Lexington Presbyterian Church, with the Revs. Bill and Deb Klein officiating.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Lexington Presbyterian Church 120 S Main St., Lexington, VA 24450 (www.lexpres.org) and/or Lexington Sunrise Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 63, Lexington, VA 24450 (www.sunriserotarylexva.org). "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" – Matthew 25:21