So sorry to hear about this

Former Kentucky poet laureate Jane Gentry Vance dies at age 73

Former Kentucky poet laureate Jane Gentry Vance, 73, a longtime University of Kentucky professor who penned a large body of poetry, as well as critical essays and book reviews, died Thursday at Taylor Manor Nursing Home in Versailles after battling cancer.

Vance spent 40 years as a professor at UK, where she taught honors courses and creative writing. She won the UK Alumni Association's Great Teacher Award in 1986 and was inducted into the UK College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame after her retirement last year.

Jane Vance was a professor in the university honours programme, a 'Great Works' curriculum which I matriculated and remember with great fondness. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think she was one of the three teachers who taught our very first semester back when I started the programme, transitioning us from high school to the expectations there. But if not, I definitely knew her name in the department. I've also taken a creative writing class from Gurney Norman, another former Kentucky poet laureate quoted in the article. This is the third professor who taught me various subjects whose obituary I caught when perusing the paper, all dying from cancer. Such a shame.