Contact Christina Chapple SLU 549-2341
FORMER SLU PRESIDENT LUTHER DYSON DIES OCT. 10
     HAMMOND -- Luther H. Dyson, who served as president of Southeastern
Louisiana University longer than any other person and guided the university through
change and growth in the 1960s, died Oct. 10. Dr. Dyson was 86 years old. He was 
Southeastern's president from 1953-1967 and a member of the administration for more
than two decades.
     Visitation will be held from 9-11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 13, in the parish hall of the
Church of Incarnation Episcopal Church, 113 Olive St., Amite. Services are at 11 a.m.
at the church. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that contributions be made to the
Dyson Scholarship fund through the Southeastern Development Foundation.
     Dr. Dyson devoted his entire professional career to the field of education,
working his way up from the elementary school level to President of Southeastern
Louisiana College, a period which spanned 37 years from 1930-1967. During his tenure
as president, enrollment increased from a little over 1,000 students to nearly 5,300
students; and a significant building program took place, with 26 major facilities being
constructed.
     Dr. Dyson was born and reared in Amite and attended Amite High School,
graduating in 1926. He received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a history major
in 1930, his master's degree in 1937, and his doctor's degree in education in 1953, all
from Louisiana State University.
     His teaching experience began in Tangipahoa Parish. He taught various grade
levels from 7th to 11th from 1930 through 1934. From 1935 to 1937, he served as
parish supervisor of instruction.
     Dr. Dyson accepted a position at Louisiana Normal College (now Northwestern
Louisiana University) in the fall of 1937. His first job there was director of Student
Teaching and Principal of the Elementary Laboratory School. Later he became head of
the Department of Education and remained at Natchitoches for 8 years.
     In 1945, the newly appointed president of Southeastern Louisiana College, Dr.
Gladney Jack Tinsley, persuaded Dyson to come to Southeastern and accept the
multi-faceted position of Dean of the College, Dean of the Division of Education, and
Head of the Department of Education. Dr. Dyson accompanied President Tinsley to
Memphis in Spring 1946 to request that Southeastern be accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. This request was granted. Until President
Tinsley's death in 1952, Dr. Dyson worked closely with him in developing and
improving the academic program at the College.
     Following Tinsley's death, he served as acting president of Southeastern from
December 1951 to July 1952. Dr. Clark L. Barrow became president in 1952 and served
one year. During that period, Dr. Dyson resumed his duties as Dean of the College and
of the Division of Education.
     In July 1953, Luther H. Dyson became president of Southeastern and remained
in that post until his retirement in July 1967. During Dyson's tenure as president, the
enrollment grew from 1,029 to 5,283, an increase of over five times the original figure.
This increase provided a challenge to Dr. Dyson to get the College's budget increased
proportionately and to increase and keep a qualified faculty. In 1964, he had the
satisfaction of seeing the budget increased substationally and the teacher-student ratio
lowered.
     To accomodate the growing student body, a significant building program took
place during Dyson's presidency. No less than 26 buildings were constructed on campus
and included the Cefalu Coliseum, the Student Union, and many of the major classroom
buildings and dormitories still in existence. The Alumni Association was revived and
the Southeastern Development Foundation created.
     The most serious challenge facing Southeastern during Dyson's tenure was
integration. Integration of black students into the College took place in the 1965
summer term. Through careful planning and sensitive administration, Southeastern
made a peaceful transition to an integrated institution. In the academic field, Dr. Dyson
had the privilege of inaugurating master's degree programs and a Division of Graduate
Studies at Southeastern. In 1964, a division of Nursing was created, and the advanced
Educational Specialist degree was added in 1967, the year Dr. Dyson retired.
     Dr. Dyson is survived by his wife, the former Ruth Kemp, also a native of
Amite, and two daughters, Dr. Constance Dyson Pirsig and Libby Dyson Peyton. Since
his retirement in 1967, he and his wife lived in Amite and kept an active interest in their
community and in Southeastern.


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