Tribute to Dr. Otis Singletary

TRIBUTE TO DR. OTIS SINGLETARY

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of a noted Kentuckian, a community leader, and a dedicated educator and administrator, Dr. Otis Singletary. I also want to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to his wife, Gloria, his three children, Bonnie, Robert, and Kendall, and all who knew and loved this remarkable man.

Dr. Singletary served his country in many capacities. A native of Mississippi, he joined the Navy at the outbreak of World War II and continued to serve in the Armed Forces through the Korean War. After earning his Ph.D., he taught history at the University of Texas. There the Students' Association recognized Dr. Singletary's talent and love for teaching and twice honored him with its Teaching Excellence Award. In 1958, he received the Scarborough Teaching Excellence Award.

An accomplished historian and published author, Dr. Singletary soon began to show his skills in administrative positions as well. After serving as the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Texas, Dr. Singletary relocated to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he served as chancellor. In 1964, he took a leave of absence to direct the Federal Job Corps, Office of Economic Opportunity, under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Later, he served as the vice-president of the American Council on Education.

For most people this career would represent a lifetime worth of achievement, but Dr. Singletary was just getting started. He assumed the presidency of the University of Kentucky in 1969, a time of national campus unrest. While other college leaders faltered in the wake of the Kent State tragedy, Dr. Singletary successfully calmed the fears of his students and led the university forward. Under his guidance, the University of Kentucky prospered and became a nationally recognized research institution. To compensate for shrinking State funds, Dr. Singletary encouraged a vigorous fundraising campaign targeting private donors. He raised almost $140 million in his 18-year presidency. A selective admissions policy, endowed professorships, the expansion of library holdings, and an undergraduate honors program were all implemented during his tenure. Upon his retirement in 1987, Dr. Singletary had supervised over $250 million in new construction and renovation at UK, including facilities for the arts, biological sciences, equine research, agriculture, and cancer research.

Dr. Otis Singletary will forever be remembered for his unwavering dedication to the University of Kentucky, its faculty, staff, and its students. I ask each of my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Otis Singletary, for all that he has given to his students, his community, and his Nation. He will be missed.