John Lawrence Sullivan

1937 - 2026

John Lawrence Sullivan

Nov 17, 1937 - Mar 21, 2026

John Lawrence Sullivan, 88, of Denver, Colo., died after a short illness on March 21, 2026, surrounded by family. We will remember him for his curiosity, kindness, wit, and generous spirit. He loved politics, reading, gardening, women's basketball, and lecturing to anyone who would listen.

Born November 17, 1937, in East St. Louis, Ill., he was the only son of Vera Noreen Welch Sullivan and John Lawrence Sullivan. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife of 58 years, Janet Kaminsky Sullivan.

John was a quiet and inquisitive child. He took tap dancing and elocution lessons. One evening, John tagged along with his father and went to the Democratic headquarters on election night, where officials were hand-counting votes. So began a lifelong interest in politics.

He went to Central Catholic Assumption High School, where he became interested in speech and drama. His interest in state and local government and politics grew through his two years as a Boys State attendee. Blending his oratory and leadership skills, he became an award-winning debater, which earned him a scholarship to attend St. Mary's University in San Antonio. While a student there, he was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He earned a B.A.with honors in Speech in 1959. After graduation, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Defense School at Fort Bliss. He was part of Operation Understanding, a project to teach members of the public about Project Nike, the first operational surface-to-air guided missile system.

Through his work on Operation Understanding, a mentor suggested he attend Indiana University to get a Master's in Speech Communication and American Studies. After obtaining his M.A., he took a two-year teaching position at California State University, Long Beach. There, he met his wife, Janet Josephine Kaminsky, at Church. They married in 1965 and moved back to Indiana so John could complete his Ph.D., and Jan could obtain a Master's in Speech Therapy. In 1967, he accepted a teaching position in the Department of Speech and Drama at the University of Virginia. His specialty was teaching about the state and nature of public argument.

In addition to teaching, he served two terms as Assistant Provost from 1974 to 1978, acting as the University's liaison to its branch at Clinch Valley College in Wise and to the School of Continuing Education. His tenure as Assistant Provost coincided with a major cultural shift at the University, ushering in changes based on gender and race. The Class of 1974 marked a historic milestone as the first to graduate from a fully coeducational system, following the 1970 granting of full access to all undergraduate programs to women. He also served on the Afro-American Studies Committee. The Committee was formed in response to activism from the Black Student Alliance, which led to the establishment in 1976 of The Office of African-American Affairs (OAAA), created to promote purposeful social change and improve Black student recruitment and retention.

He served as the Parliamentarian for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Department of Rhetoric and Communication Studies, was a member of the Raven Society and Omicron Delta Kappa, the President of the Speech Communication Association, a member of The Washington Literary Society and Debating Union, and a C-SPAN Fellow. He co-authored The C-SPAN Revolution, a history of the unique network that offers a behind-the-scenes look at C-SPAN's evolution, operations, and impact on public affairs.

In 2002, he received the All-University Teaching Award. He retired from UVA in 2008.

Perhaps John's greatest role was that of father. He told fantastic bedtime stories featuring a recurring character, Pirate Pete, and taught his daughters to garden and make chili con queso. Despite not playing sports as a child, he coached both Nancy and Maury's baseball teams and served as president of the Charlottesville High School Sports Boosters. He attended basketball, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and softball games, cheering his daughters. After his student, Dawn Staley, gave him tickets to watch her play, he became a lifelong season ticket holder for UVA Women's Basketball. We know he helped the Virginia women advance to the Sweet Sixteen from above.

John, like his wife Jan, was a dog lover. Toby, his final dog, was a faithful companion, taking daily walks with him on the Meadow Creek Trail. John proudly told people that Toby was a "Polish Lowland Terrier," and people would 'ohhh' and 'awe' as they had never heard of such a breed. He would smile and say they are very rare. And rare they were because the breed doesn't exist. Toby was a mutt.

He volunteered with the Friends of the Library for over 15 years, sorting and pricing books for their annual sale. He was an avid collector of 1934 World's Fair memorabilia, Duncan Sisters sheet music and ephemera, the Radio Boy book series for teens, and political memorabilia.

In 2022, John bequeathed his collection of political memorabilia to the University of Virginia Center for Politics, which was founded by his former student Larry Sabato. The Collection consists of approximately 1,000 pieces predominantly from 20th-century presidential campaigns with a primary focus on Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He began collecting political items to augment his teaching as a Rhetoric and Communication Studies professor. The objects will continue to serve as teaching tools for instruction, research, and publication.

In his memory, please consider donating to the UVA Center for Politics, The Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, or the Alzheimer's Association.

John is survived by his daughter, Nancy Sullivan, of Denver, Colo.; his daughter, Maury Sullivan; his son-in-law, Todd Pruner; and his grandsons, Link and Nels Pruner, of Austin, Texas; his nephew, Brian Coppersmith; his wife, Amanda; and their children, Matthew, Sean, and Nicole of Rossmoor, Calif.

Special thank you to his friend, Traude Kirchgessner, and the caregivers at Rosemark.

Cartoon of John Sullivan by Dwane Powell. Drawn on a napkin, probably at a bar.