WORCESTER — The beloved and well-respected academic who created historical markers and digital materials for Worcester’s “Black History Trail” has died.Thomas L. Doughton, senior lecturer, Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, died Saturday at his home in Worcester.
In a joint statement released Sunday from the college, Vincent D. Rougeau, president, Elliott Visconsi, provost and dean of the college, Michele Murray, senior vice president for student development and mission, and Marybeth Kearns-Barrett, director, office of the college chaplains, confirmed Doughton’s passing.
Professor Doughton taught at Holy Cross for more than 20 years, with expertise in the Holocaust, comparative genocide, Native American studies and African American history. He was also highly regarded for his mentorship and unwavering support for students.
A well-respected educator and advocate for the local history and cultures of Black and Indigenous people in Worcester County and across Massachusetts, Doughton worked on Worcester’s Black History Trail, which documents and highlights historical sites important to understanding the experience of people of color in Worcester from the colonial period through the present, and worked actively and collaboratively on the Laurel Clayton Project, uncovering the history of a Black community in Worcester.