Dr. Charles Shelton Aiken

Dr. Charles Shelton Aiken. Professor Emeritus, University of Tennessee, Department of Geography passed away on January 23, 2023. Dr. Aiken was born on August 20, 1938, in Thyatira, Mississippi, to Claude and Jewell Aiken. He graduated from Messick High School in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1956 and attended Harding University. He received his BS degree from the University of Memphis in 1960. He received his MS degree in geography from the University of Georgia in 1962 and was Instructor of Geography for 3 years at the University of Memphis. He then returned to the University of Georgia and in 1969 completed his PhD. Dr. Aiken came to the University of Tennessee in the fall of 1969 where he remained as Professor of Geography until his retirement in 2008. Dr. Aiken was internationally known for his research on the American South and was a visiting professor at the University of Bonn in 1994. He returned to Bonn in 2000 to participate in a conference on the American South. He was guest lecturer on numerous occasions. He was the author of many articles and two books, The Cotton Plantation South since the Civil War, which received the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize from the American Association of Geographers in 1999, and William Faulkner and the Southern Landscape, which received the outstanding book award for 2008 from Pioneer America. He served as President, Vice President and Secretary of the Southeastern Division Association of American Geographers and was a 50-year member of the American Association of Geographers. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Ann; sons, Charles (Amy) and John (Jennifer); and grandchildren, Audrey, Hailey, and McRae. The family will receive friends from 3:00-5:00 p.m., Sunday, January 29, 2023, at Rose Funeral & Cremation - Mann, 6200 Kingston Pike, A memorial service will follow at 5:00 p.m. in the chapel, with Rev .Tim Bubar officiating. Mrs. Ashley Arms will be soloist. Burial will be at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, at Highland Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the fund for University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries, The University of Tennessee Foundation, 1525 University Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37921-4848. Online condolences may be made at www.rosefuneraltn.com

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Dr. Charles Shelton Aiken

August 10, 1938 - January 23, 2023