University to honor Handley's contributions to education

A program honoring the late Dr. Herbert M. Handley will be held May 6 on campus.

Handley, a Distinguished Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, retired due to ill health in 1991 after more than two decades at the university. He died in 1992 in Jasper, Ala., where he had moved following retirement.

Dr. James E. McLean of the University of Alabama will be guest speaker for the 10:30 a.m. public program in the Colvard Union small auditorium. McLean is assistant dean of research and service.

In addition to McLean, other colleagues and friends will share tributes and memories of Handley, a Tuscaloosa County, Ala., native who grew up near Berry. Following the remarks, a special plaque will be unveiled commemorating Handley's life and career.

The tribute is co-sponsored by the College of Education and campus chapter of Phi Delta Kappa education honor society.

"Dr. Handley dedicated his entire life to education, the last 23 years at Mississippi State," said college Dean Arnold J. Moore. "As a Distinguished Professor and a senior researcher, his instruction in education research design and science education impacted more than 95 percent of the college's doctoral students."

In conjunction with the tribute, four display cases containing awards, pictures, research papers, newspaper articles, and other material on Handley's life are on display at Mitchell Memorial Library. The exhibit continues through May 31.

Moore said the college has established an endowed professorship in Handley's honor through the Mississippi State University Foundation. "The endowment will be a perpetual remembrance to this outstanding teacher and scholar," he added.

Handley was a 1955 graduate of Florence State University (now University of North Alabama) who went on to receive a master's degree in 1962 and a doctorate in 1966, both at the University of Georgia. He was UNA's 1988 alumnus of the year.

He came to Mississippi State in 1969 from Gainesville (Ga.) College, where he was a chemistry professor and chairman of the science and mathematics division. Hugh Mills, Gainesville's president emeritus, once called Handley "the best science teacher in the state of Georgia."

Earlier, Handley had a distinguished career at Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Ga. During his time at Glynn, the public school produced seven national winners in the Westinghouse Science Search for outstanding science students. Prior to teaching in Georgia, he taught in the Cullman County, Ala., school system.

At Mississippi State, he received several major awards, among them: The American Association of University Women's Award for Effective Teaching in 1978; Mississippi State Alumni Association's Award for Teaching and Research, 1979; Mississippi Science Teacher Association's Award for Effective College Teaching, 1981; and Phi Delta Kappa Excellence Award for service in 1980 and 1988, and for research in 1985.

In Mississippi, another high honor came when the Legislature passed a resolution in 1987 recognizing Handley's "outstanding teaching and achievement" at Mississippi State.

For more information on the Handley tribute, call Jeanne M. McWilliams at 325-3717.

Contributions to the Handley Endowment can be made by contacting Lou Anne Weiss of the Office of Development, 325-3410.