Robert Lee Lynn (November 19, 1931 – September 8, 2020) was a prize-winning
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
in
suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, who from 1975 to 1997 was the
sixth president of
Southern Baptist
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...
-affiliated
Louisiana Christian University
Louisiana Christian University (LCU) is a private Baptist university in Pineville, Louisiana. It enrolls 1,100 to 1,200 students. It is affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention).
Louisiana Christia ...
in
Pineville,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. Previously he was an administrator and interim president at his alma mater,
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of O ...
, and a
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
primarily for a Baptist press.
Background
Lynn graduated in 1949 from Fox High School in
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
, a small community with a considerable
Native American population in
Carter County in southern
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. In 1953, Lynn graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University, a Christian
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...
college in
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
in
Pottawatomie County in central Oklahoma. He subsequently attended the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City.
Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It i ...
in
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, and earned his Ph.D at the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
at
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
. From 1952 to 1953, while completing his undergraduate degree at OBU he was a reporter for ''
The Shawnee News-Star
''The Shawnee News-Star'' is an American daily newspaper published in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It is the newspaper of record for Pottawatomie, Lincoln and Seminole counties, in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
It took its current name in 1943 aft ...
''. From 1953 to 1967, he was affiliated with the ''All Church Press'' in Fort Worth, including a stint as the managing editor.
College administration
From 1967 to 1972, Lynn was the assistant to the OBU president and in 1970 the OBU interim president. From 1973 until 1975, he was the vice president for administration at OBU. Lynn became the LCU president on July 1, 1975, having succeeded
G. Earl Guinn, who had served as president since 1951. As it turned out, Lynn was president for just two years less than his predecessor. Lynn often addressed church and civic groups around the state on the advantages of attending a small Christian liberal arts college. At LC, Lynn stressed a sense of community, honest values, and the development of the habit of lifelong learning. Lynn wrote a regular column for the state denominational newspaper, the ''Baptist Message'' published by the
Louisiana Baptist Convention
The Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC) is an association of Baptist churches in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Convention is composed of approximately 1,595 member congregations representing 620 ...
in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
. It was said that Lynn knew each student by name and some of the students's interests.
At LCU, Lynn served on the commission of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...
and maintained the
accreditation
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
of the school throughout his tenure. Lynn served too on the council of presidents of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...
, the
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C.. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it has over 1,000 independent hig ...
, and the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools. He was president of the local
United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
, vice-president of the Central Louisiana
Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...
, president of Alexandria
Rotary International
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...
, and a member of the higher education transition team of
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James Foster Jr. (July 11, 1930 – October 4, 2020) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 53rd governor of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004.
Early life and career
Murphy James Foster Jr. was born in Franklin, the se ...
Under Lynn's presidency, LCU received national recognition for academic quality and Christian atmosphere. The institution was recognized by ''
U.S. News & World Report'', "Barron's 300 Best College Buys", and the
Templeton Foundation
The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious an ...
's Honor Roll for Character-Building Colleges. Upon Lynn's retirement,
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Description
A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...
B.G. Dyess of
Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish () (french: Paroisse des Rapides) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,613. The parish seat is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. ''Rapides' ...
, honored him with a resolution which cites Lynn's achievement at the institution and within the community.
[
The former Louisiana Christian University president's home, constructed in 1956 and last occupied by the Lynns as a residence, is now the Robert L. and Bonnie Lynn Alumni and Development Center. Efforts are underway to have the two-story brick structure placed on the state list of historic places.
When Lynn left LCU, ]fundamentalists
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...
in the denomination said that he had moved the institution away from its biblical and moral roots. Lynn, however, said that the factionalism in the Louisiana Baptist Convention
The Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC) is an association of Baptist churches in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Convention is composed of approximately 1,595 member congregations representing 620 ...
played no part in his decision to retire.
Poetry
After completing twenty-two years as LCU president, Lynn concentrated on his poetry in his home in Duluth, Georgia. His interest in poetry began when he was the LCU president after he noticed that many students seemed to prefer verse to speeches. He kept a notebook on his bed stand to record creative bursts which came to him in the middle of the night. Hence he titled one volume of his poetry, ''Midnight Verse''. His poems have been inspired by people who came to his mind while sleeping or events and scenes which left a particular impression. Lynn has either written or edited ten books, including his first volume of poetry entitled ''Service Yields Its Own Rewards.'' For three years, he was the editor of ''The Reach of Song'', a collection of the Georgia Poetry Society.
Lynn read his poems in such forums as the "Poetry in the Schools Program" of the Georgia Poetry Society. In 2010, for instance, he presented poems to eight hundred sixth graders in Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton C ...
, Georgia. He was affiliated with poetry societies in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. One of Lynn's best known poems is "Cancer Is So Limited", written in 2007 and published in the 2013 book ''Cancer Is So Limited and Other Poems of Faith''.
Lynn and his wife, Dr. Bonnie Moore Lynn (also born 1931), resided in Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
, in Cleveland County
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
, Oklahoma.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynn, Robert L.
1931 births
2020 deaths
People from Carter County, Oklahoma
People from Shawnee, Oklahoma
People from Fort Worth, Texas
People from Pineville, Louisiana
Writers from Atlanta
People from Duluth, Georgia
Oklahoma Baptist University alumni
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni
University of Oklahoma alumni
Presidents of Louisiana Christian University
American male journalists
American columnists
American male poets
Journalists from Texas