Alumnus donates books in honor of former professors and mentors

April 7, 2008
Kristin Brewer, Communications Assistant
865.981.8085; kristin.brewer@maryvillecollege.edu

With the donation of four books that he has researched and penned as a philosophy and religion professor, Dr. Albert Randall recently honored two special mentors from his days at Maryville College: Boydson Baird, longtime coach and former professor and chair of the physical education department; and the late Dr. Marion B. Tolar, who taught mathematics and chaired the math department for several years.

With Baird in attendance, as well as several current faculty members and classmates, Randall presented the books during an April 3 ceremony in the Lamar Memorial Library inside Thaw Hall.

Randall, who majored in mathematics, played basketball and was a member of the College’s track team, described Baird and Tolar as “two of the three most influential men in my young life.”

“This gift of knowledge has been given to me, and I am just glad to give something back,” he explained.

Randall has taught philosophy and religion at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tenn., for 37 years. His books cover the history and literature of religion. Titles of the books donated are: The Mystery of Hope in the Philosophy of Gabriel Marcel; Theologies of War and Peace Among Jews, Christians, and Muslims; Strangers on the Shore: the Beatitudes in World Religion; and Holy Scriptures as Justifications for War: Fundamentalist Interpretations of the Torah, The New Testament, and The Qur'an.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester was 1,078.