Sympathy to the Family and Former Colleagues of Emeritus Professor Norman Lavers

JONESBORO – The university community extends sympathy to the family, friends and former colleagues of Dr. Norman Lavers, emeritus professor of English, who died June 8 in Tucson.

Following an Army career, he earned a master’s degree in English literature at San Francisco State University. After beginning his teaching career at Northern Illinois, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. 

A member of the Arkansas State University faculty for 24 years, Lavers began his A-State career in 1976. At retirement in 2000, he was named to emeritus status. During the university’s centennial observance in 2009-10, he was among the first 100 individuals listed on the Distinguished Faculty Wall of Honor.

While at A-State his novel, “The Northwest Passage,” was published, along with his books on Mark Harris, Jerzy Kosinski and Manuel Puig. He participated in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, serving a year in Thailand. Lavers also served as the first editor of Arkansas Review, when the journal moved from Kansas to Arkansas.

Lavers was recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants, including one that supported a year living and writing in Spain. His awards for writing included the Porter Prize, the William Peden Prize, and O. Henry and Pushcart prizes. Fascinated by the natural world, he was an avid bird watcher and contributed numerous essays to Bird Watcher’s Digest.

The complete obituary is online.

On Friday, July 24, A-State will darken the clock tower of the Dean B. Ellis Library in memorial tribute to Lavers for his contributions to the university and to higher education.