The college notes with sadness the death of Paul Antonie “Tony” Distler, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theatre. Distler joined the Virginia Tech community in 1967; in the subsequent decade he was instrumental in the development of the BA and MFA degree programs in Theatre Arts as well as the BA in Music and in Communications.  He also created the Theatre 101 course, which he taught for 18 years, and was honored with the William E. Wine Award for Teaching Excellence in 1971. Distler served as Director of the School of the Arts from 1996, when it was approved by the Board of Visitors, until his retirement in 2004.  He played a key role in the creation of The Marching Virginians and served as the band’s announcer, “The Voice,” for 40 years.  The Virginia Tech “In memoriam” can be found here and the obituary published in the Roanoke Times here.