Remembering Otis A. Singletary

Otis A. Singletary

October 31, 1921 - September 21, 2003

President, 1969-1987

80th Birthday Celebration
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center

Gloria Singletary, Otis Singletary and granddaughter Addie Barret

October 31, 2001

Otis A. Singletary became the 8th President of the University of Kentucky 50 years ago in August, 1969.  He came well prepared as a scholar, an award winning teacher, a nationally recognized historian, first director of President Lyndon Johnson's Job Corps, and an experienced university administrator.

President Singletary liked to quote that often repeated line that a university president needs to be "someone with the physical charm of a Greek athlete, the cunning of Machiavelli, the wisdom of Solomon, the courage of a lion, and the stomach of a goat."  He called upon all of those traits during his very successful eighteen years as UK President.

Dr. Singletary may have found the establishment of the Singletary Scholars Program most personally satisfying.  When many of the current and past Singletary Scholars attended his 80th birthday reception in the Special Collections Research Center, he beamed and wanted to speak personally with each and every student who came.  He often commented about receiving letters from former Singletary Scholars and he was always very proud of their accomplishments.

http://www.uky.edu/Scholars/past_singletary.html