College mourns loss of major supporter, spouse of legendary professor

Charles Rockwood, left, announced a $10 million gift to establish the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing a year after the death of his wife, Persis, also seen here with College of Business Dean Michael Hartline.
Photo by Kallen M. Lunt Click to enlarge

Charles E. “Charlie” Rockwood, a Florida State University professor emeritus and a transformative supporter of the university and the College of Business, has passed, four years after his trailblazing wife, Persis Rockwood. He was 93. 

Charlie Rockwood joined the FSU faculty in 1960. He retired as professor emeritus of economics in 1991. 

The Rockwoods’ $10 million gift to the college in 2022 established the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing, the first U.S. marketing school named for a woman.  

Charlie Rockwood announced the gift a year after the passing of Persis, an FSU professor emerita who in 2018 became the first woman inducted into the College of Business' Charles A. Rovetta Faculty Hall of Fame. She established an array of firsts, including the first woman at FSU, in 1973, to become a full professor of marketing. 

The couple had been married for 54 years.  

“The college mourns the passing of Charlie Rockwood, a magnificent friend of our college and university,” said Michael Hartline, dean of the college. “We’ll always remember his extraordinary generosity, dedication to FSU and devotion to his beloved Persis. He made sure that our marketing department would forever stand in her honor.” 

During a 2022 event at the college, Charlie Rockwood joined Hartline to announce the gift. In his comments, Rockwood focused entirely on his wife, who taught in the college for three decades, beginning in 1960. 

"She loved FSU," he said of Persis. "She was very modest. She did not tell students her background, I don't think ever. She would ask them things like, 'What is your goal outside of your work ethic?  What have you got for a goal in life?'" 

The Rockwoods’ gift included a $3.5 million endowment for faculty support, including funding for an eminent scholar chair, professorships, emerging scholars and research; a $3 million endowment for student support, including scholarships and professional development; and a $2.5 million endowment for “preeminence,” providing discretionary funding for the Rockwood School's most pressing needs.  

The investment also included $1 million for Legacy Hall, the college’s future home, scheduled to open for classes in January. That portion of the gift funded the Dr. Persis Rockwood Academic Programs Suite and the Dr. Persis Rockwood Academic and Behavioral Research Lab. 

Also, the Rockwoods were significant supporters of Tallahassee’s arts community, previously providing major gifts to the College of Music and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, including a $2.2 million donation for a custom-built pipe organ at the College of Music.