Constance M. Fulmer

Constance Marie Fulmer, (Connie) passed away after a brief bout with cancer. She died peacefully in her home in Malibu, California, on March 17, 2020.

Connie was an avid scholar and dedicated teacher. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Lipscomb University with a major in English and a minor in Psychology. She earned a master’s degree in Education from Harding University. She began teaching then. She taught courses in English and Mathematics. She also taught Psychology and Education. She earned a master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Alabama. Of all these subjects that she was qualified to teach, she found that she preferred teaching English literature, so she earned a master’s degree in English Literature from Vanderbilt University. Then she earned her PhD in English literature from Vanderbilt University. After that Professor Fulmer focused her teaching career on tirelessly instructing and mentoring students in Victorian and British literature. She taught at Lipscomb University for twenty years. In 1980 she accepted the position of Director of Continuing Medical Education at Good Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. There she honed her administrative skills. Although she held a responsible position, she missed teaching English Literature. She found time to teach courses as an adjunct at the University of Kentucky and several community colleges. In 1990 she joined the faculty of Pepperdine University. She was the Blanche E. Seaver Chair in English Literature at Seaver College.

With her research focused on the British writers, George Eliot and Edith Simcox, she published countless essays and several books reflecting on the continued relevance of the two women authors.    

In 2019, Constance Fulmer celebrated her most active publication year with the publication of five essays and her book, George Eliot’s Moral Aesthetic: Compelling Contradictions. Dr. Fulmer served in various leadership positions at Pepperdine University, including divisional dean of the Humanities and Teacher Education Division and as associate dean of Seaver College from 2007 to 2016.

Beyond Pepperdine, Dr. Fulmer was a board member of the Victorian Interdisciplinary Studies Association of the Western United States, and she actively participated in the British Women Writers Association Conference for the past 28 years. Her vocation exemplified how to advance and support women’s voices in literature and academia.    

Connie was a faithful lifelong member of the Church of Christ. She was born in Montgomery, Alabama. She was predeceased by her parents, Clyde Edward Fulmer and Constance Renfro Fulmer. She is survived by her sister, Eunice Fulmer Wells, brother-in-law, Carroll Wells, her nephew, Dawson Wells, and her niece, Carolee Wells, all of Nashville, Tennessee, and her sister, Clydetta Fulmer, of Montgomery, Alabama, and her friend, Margaret Barfield, of Malibu, California.

If you would like to give a memorial contribution to honor Connie’s memory, Connie wanted to help people get an education. She actively supported the scholarship programs for Pepperdine University through Legacy Partners, Pepperdine University, 2455 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90263. https://www.pepperdine.edu/plp/. She also supported the scholarship named for her parents, The Clyde E. Fulmer and Constance R. Fulmer Scholarship, c/o The Development Office of Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37204.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.