MTSU on 2: University honors legacy of First Lady Liz McPhee with scholarship [+VIDEO]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University First Lady Elizabeth “Liz” McPhee wasn’t only the wife of university President Sidney A. McPhee, she was also a longtime educator, a leader and a fixture in the local community.

Mrs. McPhee died on Jan. 8 after a brief illness. She was 72. Funeral services were held Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro.

Dr. Andrew Oppmann, vice president for marketing and communications — Dr. Andrew Oppmann

On Friday, Jan. 16, Marketing and Communications Vice President Andrew Oppmann appeared on the “MTSU on 2” segment, part of WKRN-TV News 2’s Local on 2 programming, from the station’s studio to discuss Mrs. McPhee’s impact.

“It’s been a tough week, but it’s also been a glorious week of remembering her, her impact and the effect she’s had on thousands of lives, not only MTSU students, not only the faculty and staff, but scores of elementary students,” said Oppmann, referring to Mrs. McPhee’s years of service as a teacher for Murfreesboro City Schools, from which she retired in 2014.

Watch the segment below.

Middle Tennessee First Lady Elizabeth “Liz” McPhee, left, and her husband of 45 years, university President Sidney A. McPhee, are pictured here at a previous Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Calif., as part of MTSU’s annual networking trip to the event. (Photo submitted)

“She was just this personality that would fill the room when she entered. Everything she did had such energy and passion until the day she died,” Oppmann said.

From her hospital bed, Oppmann said Mrs. McPhee was continuing her charity work.

“She was still working on a fundraiser to try to raise money for folks,” he said.

To honor her legacy, the McPhee family has asked that memorials be made to the MTSU Foundation in support of “The Elizabeth McPhee Scholarship Fund.” Donations can be made at mtsu.edu/give. Please note “In Memory of Elizabeth McPhee” in any submission.

“The family asked for that to be an expression of memorial. Mrs. McPhee was just passionate about raising money to help our students and so many other charitable causes,” Oppmann said.

The local community has shown its support to the McPhee family and the university.

“There’s just a shock and sadness, I think that’s the best way to put it, because she was so vibrant, so alive, so in tune and then gone. It’s so incredibly sad, but we’re so incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support, love and the great memories,” Oppmann said.

In this undated photo, Middle Tennessee State University First Lady Elizabeth “Liz” McPhee is pictured here with her son Sidney-Anthony McPhee, left, husband of 45 years and university president, Sidney A. McPhee, and daughter Seneca McPhee, right. (Photo submitted)

At her funeral service on Wednesday, Jan. 14, the McPhees’ son, Sidney-Anthony McPhee, asked attendees and mourners to “carry a piece of her with you. Love a little harder, forgive a little faster and give a little bit more than you think you have. Speak kindness, even when it’s difficult, show up for people the way she always did.”

“Let her life be more than a memory. Let it be a model; let her compassion guide how you treat others,” he continued. “Let her strength remind you that you can endure. Let her faith encourage you when the road feels long and when you’re tired, remember how she kept going, how her well never ran dry and how her love kept overflowing.”

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)