A Hope College professor died Thursday, June 19, afternoon while jogging near the college.

John T. Quinn, 45, an associate professor of classics who had been a member of the faculty since 1995, was pronounced dead at Holland Hospital where he was taken by emergency responders.

Quinn had been running alone about 1 p.m. when he collapsed in front of 331 Lincoln Ave. before being taken to Holland Hospital.

Quinn arrived at the hospital with no vital signs, said Tim Breed, hospital spokesman.
“There was an effort to resuscitate him after he arrived, but it was not successful,” Breed said.

Because of his physical condition, Hope colleagues were surprised by Quinn’s death.

“He was in excellent condition. He was running all the time,” said Sander de Haan, chairman of the language department. “In many ways, he was everyone’s favorite colleague.”

Others had similar kind words to say about Quinn.

“John Quinn was a respected colleague and friend,” said Hope College President James E. Bultman. “His passion was teaching in the Classics. This he did well and with great enthusiasm. John was a faithful servant, beloved especially by his students and the campus community.”

Quinn taught Latin as well as the two major languages of Roman Egypt: Greek and Coptic (Egyptian). His research interests included the translation of ancient texts. He took his students on study tours to Greece and in 2004 led an alumni tour that explored Italy’s Roman past.

During his career, he was supported in his research by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Education, the Fulbright-Hayes Group Study Abroad in Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Consortium for Inter-Institutional Collaboration in African and Latin American Studies, according to Hope College spokesman Tom Renner.

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 and master’s in 1986 and his doctorate in 1994 from the University of Texas at Austin.
Quinn lived in Holland and is survived by family in the Chicago area, according to Renner.

Funeral arrangements are pending.