Dr. William "Bill" Livingston Tribby

Dr. William “Bill” Livingston Tribby, 90, passed away on January 18, 2025, at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

He was born on March 18, 1934, and was raised in Loudon County, Virginia. 

Bill received his B.A. in English from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and his M.A. (Directing) and PhD (Dramatic Theory and Criticism) from the University of Iowa. 

Dr. Tribby was a professor of English and Dramatic Arts at Western Maryland College from 1958-1979. He served as the Dean of General Studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts) from 1979-1999. In addition to being a critic fellow at the National Critics Institute, he worked with guerrilla and experimental theatre groups on the east and west coasts and directed and acted in a wide variety of productions ranging from Aristophanes and Monteverdi to Genet and Beckett. 

He served on the boards of a number of Winston-Salem nonprofit organizations, including AIDS Care Service and the Winston-Salem affiliate of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. He was a founding board member of the Lillian E. Smith Foundation (now the Lillian E. Smith Center of Piedmont University) and the Consortium for the Liberal Education of Artists. Once retired, he also volunteered for many years in the neo-natal unit at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital (now Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center), just a short walk from his home in Winston-Salem’s Ardmore neighborhood.

Dr. Tribby was preceded in death by his high school sweetheart and wife of 66 years, Sylvia Charlotte Crooker Tribby. He is survived by three children, Jay Tribby of Atlanta, Georgia; Lauren Tribby Pruett (Ken) of Winston-Salem; and Colin Tribby (Celena) of Winston-Salem; his brother, David Tribby (Maria) of Augusta, Georgia, and their children; two grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.

In accordance with Dr. Tribby’s wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service. He asks that those who wish to mark his passing “take a long walk on the beach, in the woods, and, for a moment, be still and know.” In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to celebrate his life and career consider donating in his name to Common Ground on the Hill at McDaniel College; the Lillian E. Smith Center of Piedmont University; the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Foundation; or Trellis Supportive Care Foundation. 

Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel is serving the family of Dr. Tribby.