The literary community suffered the loss of literary scholar, journal editor and professor emeritus at Mississippi State University, Noel Polk this week.
Polk passed away on Tuesday, August 21 at age 69 after an 18-month battle with prostate cancer.
Polk received his BA degree from Mississippi College and M.A. degree and Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina.
Polk was known across the U.S. and around the world for his studies of the works of Mississippi authors William Faulkner and Eudora Welty and the numerous books and articles he wrote on them and other Southern writers. 
Polk has lectured in Poland as a Fulbright Scholar as well as in France, Japan, and many other countries.
He served as a professor of English at MSU from 2004 until he retired in 2007, when he became Professor Emeritus of English.
Polk was also editor of MSU’s scholarly journal, The Mississippi Quarterlyand maintained his position after his retirement.
In addition, he was professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi for 27 years and served as editor of the USM arts journal, The Southern Ouarterly.
Rich Raymond, head of the MSU Department of English, was a friend and colleague of Polk.
He said in addition to all of Polk’s academic achievements, he was a great man and he will be missed.
“Beyond all his academic achievements, Dr. Polk was a kind man who gave generously of his resources and his time to MSU and Starkville, most notably in his leadership in the Starkville Reads program,” Raymond said. “We will miss him sorely.”
Laura West, who worked with Polk on “The Mississippi Quarterly,” said he was passionate about his work and always generous with his time and knowledge to his collegues, students, fellow scholars, and friends.
“Dr. Polk was wonderful to work with,” she said. “His passion for language and literature was evident in his teaching, writing and editing.”