Serious business for this morning. I’m reprinting most of this from the Post (I don’t think they’ll mind), though I heard it on local NPR this morning:

The Athens Police Department is investigating the Monday death of a semi-retired Ohio University professor as a homicide. The death of 66-year-old Phillip Bebb is not believed to be a random act of violence, police said in a statement late yesterday.

Bebb’s wife, Susan West, found her husband after returning to their home at 18 Mulligan Road — south of the OU campus — about 8 p.m. Monday. West also found a knife on the floor, according to a news release from police.

A statement from the office of Athens County Coroner Scott Jenkinson said an autopsy would be performed at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in Dayton.

Beth Brown, who lives just down the street from Bebb’s home and has been caring for the couple’s 12-year-old dog, said police were at the house throughout the day yesterday.

“I’m trying not to worry, but it’s very upsetting because this is a very nice, quiet neighborhood and nothing like this has ever happened up here,” she said.

Brown said she was home most of the day Monday except for one hour in the evening and didn’t see or hear anything unusual.

She said Bebb, an OU history professor, was a friendly neighbor who had a penchant for traveling, and she thought he might have been planning a trip overseas soon.

In an e-mail to faculty announcing Bebb’s death, history department Chair Norman Goda said the professor enjoyed teaching classes about the Italian Renaissance and Michelangelo.

“He touched hundreds of lives and he left us all a little better than we were before,” Goda wrote. “We will miss Phil’s warmth, his kindness and his humanity.”

Bebb joined the department in 1969 and served for nearly three decades as director of its tutorial program, according to the department’s Web site. He took early retirement in 2004 and most recently taught classes in Winter Quarter of last year.

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I never had a class with Professor Bebb, but I’m pretty sure that Matt and PJ did… Our condolences, obviously, to the Professor’s family and to the University.

UPDATE 11:00 am: Peej emails to note that Athens police are charging Professor Bebb’s 32-year old son with his murder.