Lennie Young Lancaster (1893-1980)

Biography

L. Y. Lancaster was born August 12, 1893 in Stewart County near Dover, Tennessee. He taught in rural schools in Calloway County, Kentucky before earning a Life Certificate from the Western Kentucky State Normal School in 1921 and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Kentucky in 1923. He joined the Western faculty in 1923 but then returned to school to earn a Master of Science and a Ph. D., both in Zoology, from Ohio State University in 1928 and 1931 respectively.

Dr. Lancaster returned to Western where his success in preparing pre-medical students made him known as the "father" of the school's pre-medical curriculum. His devotion to two hobbies, ornithology and refinishing antique flintlock rifles, also earned him statewide recognition. He retired in 1960. In 1975, Dr. Lancaster received awards from both the Kentucky Medical Association and the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. L. Y. Lancaster died May 15, 1980, the same year in which the L. Y. Lancaster Memorial Lecture Series was established in his honor.

Collection

The collection consists primarily of nomination letters and supporting materials for the Kentucky Medical Association and Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians awards. A short biographical sketch by Dr. Jerry W. Martin, who made the nominations, is included. Dr. Lancaster's diplomas are in the collection, as well as an oral history interview conducted in 1973 which tells, among other things, of his work to establish Western's first campus bookstore in the summer of 1921. The collection also includes the KMA and KAFP awards, as well as several other certificates and awards.

Volume

0.2 cubic feet