The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate passed a resolution Sunday to rename its Professor of the Year Award.
It will now be called the "Dr. Gerald R. Gill Professor of the Year Award," in honor of the late teacher who was its first recipient in 1999.
The resolution cites "the breadth of his knowledge, the creativity of his assignments and his capacity to make the past come alive," and notes that "Dr. Gill epitomized what it means to be a teacher, a gentleman and a scholar."
TCU President Neil DiBiase said that he is happy with the change.
"Students at Tufts think he exemplified what being a Tufts professor means," he said. "I think one of the best ways the Senate can memorialize Professor Gill is to challenge other faculty members to spread his legacy."
Senators Amanda Richardson, a senior, and Duncan Pickard, a sophomore, sponsored the resolution.
"There's no way to put into words the impact he had on students and faculty and anyone he passed in the community," Richardson said.
She said that though she had never taken a class with Gill, the professor had been a friend of her uncle's.
"My uncle told him I was coming to Tufts, and as soon as I met him, he knew exactly who I was," Richardson said.
"He was so sincere from the moment I met him."
