Otis A. Singletary
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Otis Arnold Singletary (October 31, 1921 - September 21, 2003) was a historian and served as the 8th president of the University of Kentucky.
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[edit] Early life
Singletary was born October 31, 1921 in Gulfport, Mississippi. He received his B.A. from Millsaps College in 1947 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Louisiana State University in 1949 and 1954, respectively.
[edit] President of UK
In August, 1969, Singletary became president of the University of Kentucky. Assuming his executive responsibilities during a period of campus turmoil kindled by student protest against the Vietnam War, and culminating on the UK campus in the Kent State demonstrations of May, 1970, the new president's dispassionate yet firm approach to dealing with the conflict, in time effectively restored calm to the campus and prevented a potentially incendiary situation from spinning out of control. Throughout his term Singletary listened attentively to student concerns and encouraged responsible student participation in University affairs. Early in his administration student representation on the Board of Trustees was initiated, and student membership in the University Senate was increased. As a result, many causes of student discontent were eradicated, and a mutuality of trust and respect between students and administrators developed and grew during the Singletary years.
Singletary retired from his post as president of the university on June 30, 1987, having served longer in that position than any of his predecessors, save James Kennedy Patterson and Frank McVey.
[edit] Legacy
In the same year of his retirement, the University of Kentucky's Singletary Center for the Arts was named in his honor. Currently, the university offers the Singletary scholarship, which is the highest attainable undergraduate scholarship at the institution.
He died September 20, 2003 at his home in Lexington, Kentucky. His funeral was held four days later at the Singletary Center for the Arts.
