In Memoriam: Lucien Lloyd Bass III

McIntire professor taught of the importance of relationships

There were few corners of UVA that Lucien Lloyd Bass III (Engr class of ’63, Darden class of ’65) didn’t touch. In addition to holding degrees from both the School of Engineering and the Darden School of Business, he spent nearly 20 years on the faculty of the McIntire School of Commerce and served as president or board member of multiple programs and committees.

Bass died Jan. 17, 2025, five years after his retirement from teaching. He was 84.

Bass began his UVA teaching career in 1999 as an adjunct professor, teaching courses in business, marketing and ethics at McIntire, Darden and the School of Engineering. In 2002, he joined the faculty of McIntire, where he became known for his sharp humor and inclusive approach to teaching.

In Negotiating for Value, a popular McIntire class he taught for nearly two decades, Bass highlighted the importance of honesty and relationship-building in business.

“You just don’t lie in a negotiation—it will put a black cloud over you for the rest of your life,” he told students in a class Virginia Magazine observed in 2017.

“Professor Bass has emphasized that negotiations aren’t necessarily a one-time thing—they’re long term,” student Richard Schweiker (Com class of ’18) said in the 2017 article, “and that building relationships is almost more important than winning out at one point.”

In addition to teaching, Bass served on several university boards and committees, including the University of Virginia Engineering Foundation and the School of Nursing Advisory Board. During his time as a faculty member, he won awards including the IMP Faculty Award in 2005, the Henry St. George Tucker Award from the UVA Honor Committee in 2006, the Distinguished Alumni Engineering Award in 2008, and the Young Alumni Council Service Award in 2012.

Prior to his teaching career, Bass held several positions at the Bahnson Co.—a provider of HVAC systems—and served as senior director of international development at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco International.

Bass’s deep involvement in the UVA community dates back to his undergraduate years in the School of Engineering. He was a member of the Honor Council, president of the Engineering School and president of the Raven Society. He won several awards, including the prestigious Raven Award in 1963 for outstanding contributions to the university.

According to his cousin, the Rev. John Taliaferro Thomas, Bass was known for connecting people and building “an ecosystem of whoever came into his orbit.”

“Both of his parents died when he was young, but because of this man’s absolutely indefatigable refusal to go it alone in life, he made family,” Thomas said in the sermon he delivered at Bass’s funeral. “Lucien’s family tree was, really, more of a family forest.”

Bass is survived by his wife, Mary Brush Bass. He was predeceased by his daughter, Molly Bass (Col class of ’88, Educ class of ’90), who served as the UVA Alumni Association’s senior director of scholarships and endowments. In 2023, he created the Molly Bass Memorial Scholarship in her memory.

—Sam Grossman