McClure taught history at Walters State Community College. Author: 10News Staff Updated: 6:11 PM EST January 1, 2021 An East Tennessee historian and professor whose work brought to light the heroics of a pioneering World War I pilot has died. Marc E. McClure died this week while awaiting heart surgery, according to a social media post by his wife, Jessica Mills McClure. WBIR interviewed McClure often over the years about his work and the stories of fascinating East Tennesseans his research uncovered. He was a history professor at Walters State Community College. McClure's curiosity about the Morristown tombstone of a Newport native named Kiffin Rockwell led McClure to produce a documentary that ended up being shown in France and elsewhere.