Former UNF business educator passes

Tommy Coppedge, a long-time professor at the Coggin College of Business, passed away.

Coppedge’s life closed peacefully on Sept. 8. Born Wayland Thomas Coppedge III, he was a native of Jacksonville and was known to have an avuncular personality and even taught in classrooms at times with his beloved dog at his side.

At one point in his career at UNF, he was voted “best faculty” by students across campus. The award came without formal institutional recognition, speaking to his character, according to Andres Gallo, Earle Traynham Professor of Economics and Director of the International Business Program at the Coggin College of Business.

“That was Tommy, a faculty member of the Old Guard,” Gallo said. “He was strongly opinionated, fair to his students and always willing to help them succeed.”