Robert Bruce Bickley Jr.

August 20, 1942 – February 6, 2026

YouTube livestream of Feb. 14 memorial

Tallahassee Democrat obituary

Bruce Bickley was born on August 20, 1942, in New Rochelle, NY. Raised in Tennessee and Kentucky, he attended Anchorage Public School and Eastern High School in Middletown, Kentucky. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English, Phi Beta Kappa, at the University of Virginia and his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in English at Duke University. He met his future wife and fellow English major Karen Luce at Duke, and they were married in the Duke Chapel in 1966. They both took positions at Florida State University in 1969, Bruce in the Department of English and Karen in the College of Education. At FSU, among other administrative posts, Dr. Bickley served for nine years as Interim Associate Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for one year as Interim Dean of the College, and for five years as the Director of the University Honors Program. In addition to other awards, he was the recipient of a University Teaching Award, the Martin Luther King Award for Distinguished Service, and the Omicron Delta Kappa and Gold Key Overall Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Service.

Along with more than 100 book chapters, articles, encyclopedia entries, reviews, and regional, national, and international conference papers on 19th- and 20th-century American literature and folklore, he was the author of The Method of Melville's Short Fiction; Joel Chandler Harris: A Biography and Critical Study; Joel Chandler Harris: A Reference Guide, co-authored with Karen; Critical Essays on Joel Chandler Harris; and Joel Chandler Harris: An Annotated Bibliography of Criticism. Dr. Bickley was also the co-editor, with his son Dr. John T. Bickley, of Joel Chandler Harris's Nights with Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation. Additionally, for 25 years he conducted professional writing workshops and carried out consulting projects for more than 20 state and federal agencies and private firms. Along with academic editing, he also edited novels, memoirs, and children's books. At FSU, Dr. Bickley taught American literature and editing workshops for undergraduates, graduate students, and area writers, as well as adult learning courses on major American and British authors for FSU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

The Bickleys enjoyed travel to Europe, Alaska, and Ireland and were members of various book clubs. Bruce's main hobby was singing bass with The Capital Chordsmen barbershop harmony chorus and with his mixed-voice, men's and women's quartet, Equal Time. Above all, they enjoyed time with their large, adoring family. The Bickleys raised four children: Kathryn Greene (Dave); David (son Tyler and daughter Alissa); John (Dani Su and children Addy and Taylor Jane); and Scott (Jenny and children Lucy, Charlie, Kennedy, and Sally). In addition to his wife, children and grandchildren, Bruce is survived by his niece Courtney Vincent (children Eliya and Benjamin) and by several cousins who live, among other places, on the west coast, in North Carolina, and in Alaska. He was predeceased by his parents Bob and Jean Bickley; by parents-in-law Arthur and Viola Luce; by his sister Anne Barnes and brother-in-law Jim Barnes; and by his brothers-in-law Charlie and Bill Luce.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Capital Chordsmen. Please make checks payable to “Tallahassee Chapter BHS” and mail to 1118 N Bronough St., Tallahassee FL 32303.

In March 2015, then-English Creative Writing major Kate Mazzotta included Dr. Bickley in her College Magazine article, "10 Florida State Professors Worth Your Money."

Dr. Bruce Bickley, English

 

With his welcoming demeanor, Bickley turns the dreaded writing workshop class into a small community. His editing puns, commonly told before and after class, are worth your time. Jennifer Lee said he made writing fun and helped her unearth her editing skills. “He gave me another path to a brighter future, as cliché as that sounds,” Lee said. What could possibly make him better? He is in a barbershop quartet. At the end of Lee’s semester with him, he and his quartet came into class wearing costumes and sang to them. “He knows how to liven a room,” Lee said. “Especially when we’re all tired and ready for the day to end.”