Retired UK history professor Bruce Holle died from COVID-19 earlier this week. 

 “The institution lost a dear colleague in Professor Bruce Holle,” UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said. “He was treasured by his colleagues and students, across decades, as a teacher, mentor and friend prior to and after his retirement last spring. He will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with his family.” 

In an article published on the UK history department webpage, past students and colleagues recalled Holle’s 45 years of teaching experience. 

“Bruce reckons he taught more than ten thousand students over the course of his teaching career,” the article reads.

Though he taught a large quantity of students, he was also said to build quality connects with his students that even lasted beyond his retirement. 

“Bruce was a student magnet, luring them up seventeen flights so they could extend the conversation with him beyond class,” the article states. 

Holle began his teaching at the University of Michigan and taught at UK for much of his career. 

Members of the UK history department expressed their grief online. 

“I just received word that we lost a dear UK history colleague due to #Covid19. Someone who welcomed me, bought me rye, and shared many laughs in my short time at the university. Sending love to his family and his near and dear ones,” professor Vanessa Holden said in a tweet on Tuesday.