Dr. Laddie H. Lollar

Dr. Lollar was raised in Greenfield, Missouri and graduated high school as valedictorian in 1947. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and mathematics in 1951 from Southwest Missouri State University, followed by a Master’s of Education degree in guidance and counseling in 1956 and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology in 1968 from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Dr. Lollar began his teaching career in 1951 at School of the Osage in Lake Ozark, Missouri as a business and mathematics teacher. He then worked as a counselor at the University of Missouri’s Testing and Counseling Service for four years before moving to McKenzie in 1961 to teach education and psychology at Bethel College, where he stayed for the remainder of his teaching career.

He was named Bethel College Teacher of the Year four times, received the Roy and Mary Shelton Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award in 2002, and was named faculty emeritus in 2006. He also co-authored the W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant that enabled the Bethel College library to add over 1,600 books. During his academic career, he had articles published in The Cumberland Presbyterian and Photolith.

Dr. Lollar was a member of numerous academic and civic organizations throughout his life, including: Pi Omega Pi business education teacher honor society; Kappa Mu Epsilon mathematics honor society; Phi Delta Kappa association for professional educators; Psi Chi psychology honor society; American Psychological Association; Southeastern Psychological Association; Tennessee Psychological Association; American Association of University Professors; Common Cause Tennessee; and Carroll County Developmental Center.

At Bethel College, he was also the faculty athletics representative for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Phi Delta Sigma social fraternity advisor, and Psychology Club advisor. He was a member of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in McKenzie.

“Dr. Lollar has been an integral part of the life of Bethel College for 45 years. He was a challenging professor who instilled in his students the desire for excellence. He also had a heart for service that never tired,” Bethel College President Bob Prosser said.

– Article by Audrey Scruton, The McKenzie Banner