Frederick “Fritz” Parsons Hemans III, a Wichita State professor and executive chair of the Faculty Senate, died on February 28. Hemans was the associate professor of ancient art and architecture, head of the art history department, and coordinator of NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) for the School of Art and Design. He was also a member of the American Association of University Professors. A memorial was held March 9 at Downey and Lahey Memorial.

Hemans was born July 5, 1952 in Auburn, New York. He earned his Ph.D. from Boston University in 1986, preceded by a Master of Arts from Indiana University in 1980 and Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University in 1975. 

In addition to teaching at Wichita State for nearly 20 years, Hemans was the associate director of the University of Chicago Excavations at Isthmia, Greece. He traveled often to Athens with colleagues, students and families for excavations. Several of his articles on the excavation results were published in “Hesperia,” a journal published by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.  

Hemans last presented his findings in 2007 at the “Antike Holztragwerke” conference at the Technischen Universitat in Munich and at “The Archaic Temple of Poseidon: Problems of Design and Invention,” for the conference “Half a Century on the Isthmus” hosted by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.

Students, colleagues, friends and family spilled into the hallways during Hemans’s memorial service. The service was officiated by Reverend Gary Blaine and included emotional remarks from friends and family. Hemans’s children, Adriana and Frederick, spoke about their father’s life. The service was painted by sincere word, humorous anecdotes and emotional accounts of Hemans’s life. He was remembered for his wit, humor and kindness.

Hemans is preceded in death by his father, Frederick Parsons Hemans, Jr. He is survived by: daughter, Adriana Hemans; son, Frederick Parsons Hemans; mother, Dorothy Hemans; brother, Peter (Becky) Hemans; sisters, Christa (Paul) Besser, Marsha (Clint) Walker and Felicia Hemans.