Elizabeth Lorenza McPhee, the First Lady of Middle Tennessee State University, known for her tireless work as an educator, volunteer and fundraiser for charitable causes, died January 8, 2026, after a brief illness. She was 72.

Working alongside her husband of 45 years, Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, throughout his 25 years as MTSU's president starting in 2001, Mrs. McPhee was an advocate, supporter and mentor to generations of university students, faculty and staff. Known for her love of stylish hats and fashion sense, Mrs. McPhee was highly visible and strongly engaged on the Murfreesboro campus, often serving as the patron and planner for activities, fundraisers and events at the University, and with her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Mrs. McPhee was loved and admired by scores of elementary students she taught during her almost 40 years as an educator in public schools in four different states. She retired in May 2014 after serving as a third-grade teacher for Reeves-Rogers Elementary School in Murfreesboro.

"Her devotion to MTSU over the last quarter-century, combined with her career as an educator and her tremendous impact as a volunteer for numerous charitable causes, enhanced the lives of thousands in our city, state, and beyond," said Stephen B. Smith, chair of the University's Board of Trustees, in a message sent to the campus community on Jan. 8 announcing Mrs. McPhee's passing.

Mrs. McPhee was born on February 22, 1953, the fourth child of four children born to the late Antone and Alice Cooke in Houston, Texas. As a child, she attended J.J. Rose Elementary School and received her diploma from E.E. Worthing High School in Houston.

In a 2018 interview with VIP Murfreesboro, she said her mother told her at a young age that that "God had a plan for me," specifically "to go to school and get an education."

Mrs. McPhee graduated from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, where she met her husband, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in education with a minor in art. She later completed graduate work at Oklahoma State University and the University of Louisville. She also told VIP Murfreesboro that she considered her work at MTSU as First Lady as part of her life's plan. "People used to ask me how I was able to teach full time, often being the first one to the school in the morning and attend all of the dinners and late-night meetings with Sidney," Mrs. McPhee said. "I'd say that's just part of the plan."

Mrs. McPhee organized and ran art camps for students at the MTSU President's Residence during summers and chaired the Alpha Kappa Alpha Teens program for teenage girls. She led several groups of students, teachers and parents on educational and cultural tours of China. She also hosted Chinese students, their parents, and their school administrators in Murfreesboro to engage them in American traditions and educational experiences.

In a 2015 interview with The Murfreesboro Post, Mrs. McPhee said she used much of what she experienced in life to make herself a better teacher. She brought speakers from MTSU to her classroom at Reeves-Rogers. And, when she traveled internationally with her husband, Mrs. McPhee often brought back clothing, pictures and craftwork to show her students how people live in those places. "Everything is a teaching moment," Mrs. McPhee said to The Post.

Mrs. McPhee was honored as an exceptional teacher in elementary education by the Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center. Delta Sigma Theta sorority's Rutherford County Alumnae Chapter also recognized Mrs. McPhee for her international travels and outreach. She, along with her husband, were honored by the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation at its 2014 Excellence in Education Celebration and the 2022 NAACP President's Award by the Murfreesboro chapter of the NAACP.

In addition to her work with Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Kappa Gamma, Mrs. McPhee was actively involved with Belle Aire Baptist Church; Murfreesboro's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Board; Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation Board; and the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation Board. She also served on the boards of the Arts Center of Cannon County and the Murfreesboro Domestic Violence Center.

"I have never met anyone more generous than Liz, not only with her money, but with her time," said long-time friend Joyce Taylor, who traveled frequently with Mrs. McPhee. "Whenever she supported a charity – and she supported many – she insisted on hosting fundraisers and covering all the costs." Taylor said she also witnessed Mrs. McPhee's "acts of kindness that she preferred to keep quiet," adding, "She would tell me that whoever must need help more than she did."

Mrs. McPhee, in her 2015 interview with The Post as part of its Remarkable Rutherford Women series, spoke about her joy in hosting students at the President's Residence who could not go home for the holidays, particularly student-athletes and international scholars. "And the fun part is, many of them come back to help decorate for Christmas," she told The Post. Pointing to the high ceilings in the residence, Mrs. McPhee added, "Those basketball (players) are so tall, they don't even need a ladder. We just hand them the lights and garland, and they put it up."

MTSU Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell, during a post-game press conference Jan. 8, said, "We lost one of our most loveable, most avid supporters today." He added, "There wasn't a big game that she didn't go with us, ride with us… She would eat with the kids, she would feed the kids. You just don't know what Liz McPhee did behind the scenes for Lady Raider basketball."

Blue Raider Athletics in 2024 presented Mrs. McPhee with its first Blue Raider Impact Award in recognition of her work and advocacy for student-athletes. On the day she died, Mrs. McPhee was working on a charitable event she was planning for MTSU women's golf and soccer, Taylor said.

Mrs. McPhee overcame uterine cancer in 2014, then told her story to support others fighting similar illnesses. She told The Post, "My mother used to tell us to 'put God first, because God is here with you, he'll always be with you.'  When I was going into surgery and radiation, I remembered that."

She was also known for her extensive collection of Tchaikovsky-style nutcrackers, which she displayed in the President's Residence during the holidays, as well as her affinity for hats, shoes and purses.

Her hat collection was her signature style and popular on campus. She told The Post that it all began when her husband took her to meet his mother in The Bahamas, where he is from. "He told me I needed to buy a hat to wear to church. He said his mama wouldn't approve of me going to church without a hat. So I bought a hat. Then I decided to buy another one in case that one wasn't right." She said with a chuckle to The Post reporter, "I was going to stop collecting the shoes and purses, but Sidney won't let me."

Funeral service will be Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Belle Aire Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Mr. Tony Cooke, Mr. Trantell "Tweety" Knight, Mr. Paul Martin, Mr. Ian McPhee, Mr. J.C. McPhee, Dr. Sidney-Anthony McPhee, Dr. Paul Patel, and Mr. Fant Smith. Honorary pallbearers are Mr. Eric Brewton, Mr. Arid Gipson, Mr. Milton Hega, The Honorable Bill Ketron, Mr. Amos McPhee, Mr. Carlton McPhee, Mr. Earl McPhee, Mr. Eldridge McPhee, Mr. Hexin McPhee, Mr. Rick Insell, Mr. Jonathon McGuire, Mr. Asiah Menke, Dr. Andrew Oppmann, Mr. Kenyatta Pumphrey, Mr. Stephen B. Smith, and The Honorable Kirt Wade. Arrangements are under the direction of Woodfin Memorial Chapel.

In addition to Dr. McPhee, Mrs. McPhee is survived in her immediate family by their son, Dr. Sidney-Anthony McPhee; their daughter, Dr. Seneca Ann McPhee; adopted son, Mr. Trantell "Tweety" Knight; grandchildren, Asiah Ray Menke, Langston Anthony McPhee, Naomi Grace McPhee and Nyla Jade McPhee; siblings, Amy Johnson-Wells and Melba Gipson; and nieces and nephews, Albert Cooke, Jr., Anthony Cooke, Michael Cooke, Angela Gray, Alice Jones, and Arif Gipson. Mrs. McPhee was preceded in death by her parents, Antone and Alice Ruth Cooke, as well as her brother, Albert Cooke.

The family requests memorials be made in Mrs. McPhee's name to the MTSU Foundation, Campus Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, or online at www.mtsu.edu/give . Please note "in Memory of Elizabeth McPhee."