Spelman College celebrates the life and legacy of B. LaConyea Butler, Ph.D., C’56, who passed away on August 20, 2015. Dr. Butler served the College as a faculty member and administrator following her appointment to the department of psychology in 1959. After 55 years on the faculty, she retired in 2014.
During her tenure at Spelman, Dr. Butler served as chair of the psychology department for 17 years, and director of the Office of Assessment of Student Learning and Development. She also served among the faculty leadership group for college assessments, as well as in counseling services.
Dr. Butler touched numerous students and young faculty and was involved in the creation of many signature programs across academic disciplines. The mother of Danielle Butler Simons, C’84, Dr. Butler was devoted to Spelman, consistently supporting the College as a volunteer and a participant in the Every Woman…Every Year! alumnae campaign.
Please join me in recognizing the significant contributions Dr. Butler made as a student, alumna, administrator and faculty member in the history of our fine institution.
-- Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., Spelman College President
A Brief History
Dr. LaConyea Butler was born November 20, 1935, in Greenville, South Carolina, the only daughter of the late Daniel C. Butler, Morehouse College, C'30, and the late Ruby Brown Butler, Spelman College, C'30. Butler was a product of the Greenville Public School System and graduated as salutatorian of her class at Sterling High School in 1952.
Upon graduation, Dr. Butler attended Spelman College and graduated in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. After earning her master's degree in psychology from Boston University she taught briefly at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She returned to Spelman in 1959 and received her doctorate degree in guidance and counseling from Atlanta University in 1972. A tenured professor, Dr. Butler retired from Spelman in 2014.
Dr. Butler has two daughters, Danielle Butler Simmons, C'84, and Louisa Butler-Ward. Read more in her official obituary here.
The Celebration of Life for Dr. Butler took place on Tuesday, Aug. 25
CONDOLENCES AND EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Oran W. Eagleson Scholarship Fund or the NAASC Donald M. and Isabel Stewart Endowed Scholarship Fund, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane, S.W., P.O. Box 1303, Atlanta, Georgia 30314.