Graves Enck Scholarship Fund in Sociology

The Department of Sociology seeks to honor the incredible career of Dr. Graves Enck, who sadly passed away on June 2, 2022.  Graves Enck began his teaching career in the Department of Sociology at Memphis State University in 1974 and completed his 48th year May 15, 2022.  Dr. Enck had a special love for teaching and working with students. Those skills were made evident with his receiving numerous awards during his tenure: Distinguished Teaching Service Award (1980 and 1991), University College Advising Award (1985), W. Russell Smith Award for Teaching (1994), University College Distinguished Faculty Award (1996), University Distinguished Faculty Advising Award (2002), University College Advising Award (2003). 

Early in his career, Dr. Enck was known for singing sociology.  Back in 1980, he was known for using the music of Merle Haggard as a launching point for discussions of sociological ideas.  A story about Dr. Enck's continuing education class connecting music and sociology was covered in the Memphis Press-Scimitar at that time.  Throughout his career Dr. Enck focused first and foremost on his students.  Even when he moved to teaching more online sections of courses, he was known for reaching out weekly to students who had not kept up with the course and he was tireless in his efforts to keep students engaged.  His passion for learning and critical thinking touched the lives of thousands of students, many of whom remained in contact with him in subsequent years, much to his delight.

In honor of Dr. Graves' Enck commitment to the students of the University of Memphis, the Department of Sociology and the Enck family are working to endow a scholarship in his name to provide the much needed financial support that will help sociology students complete their degrees.