Dr. Manning M. Pattillo to Receive the Talmage Award from Oglethorpe University

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Dr. Manning M. Pattillo

ATLANTA, GA (04/13/2010)(readMedia)-- Oglethorpe University will present Dr. Manning M. Patillo '94H with the Talmage Award during the 175th Anniversary Gala and Awards Banquet on Friday, April 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at The Retreat of Dunwoody at Perimeter Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Talmage Award honors the contribution of time, talent or financial resources to one or more programs of the university and in the business or professional world. Dr. Patillo was the President of Oglethorpe University from 1975 to 1988.

Born in Virginia, Dr. Pattillo graduated from the University of the South ("Sewanee"), where he was president of his fraternity and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Following Army service in World War II, he pursued graduate study at the University of Chicago, from which he received the degrees of Master of the Arts (A.M.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Dr. Patillo was later awarded honorary doctorates by eight colleges and universities, including the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in 1994 from Oglethorpe University. He taught at the University of Chicago, New York University, and the University of Georgia. He is author of four books of American higher education, most recently of a brief history of Oglethorpe University.

Dr. Patillo came to Atlanta in 1975 as President of Oglethorpe and retired from that position in 1988, whereupon the Board of Trustees game him the honorary title of Chancellor. During his presidency, selective admissions was established, so that Oglethorpe became noted as "highly selective" by leading directories of colleges and universities; Oglethorpe was more clearly defined as a primarily undergraduate college of arts and sciences specializing in excellent teaching; and young scholars and teachers from across the United States were added to the Oglethorpe faculty. Prior to Oglethorpe, Dr. Patillo served as an executive of two large philanthropic foundations, the Lilly Endowment and the Danfort Foundation.

Dr. Patillo continues to be active in community affairs. He is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and has a record of 32 years of perfect attendance. He has served as a Life Trustee and Vice-Chairman of the Woodruff Arts Center; Senior Worker and Chapter member of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip; President of Board Member of the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Atlanta; President of the Georgia Association of Colleges and the Georgia Foundation of Independent Colleges; Chairman and President of the English-Speaking Union of Atlanta; Chairman of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce; President of Georgia Special Olympics; and, Chairman of the Council of the Salvation Army College for Officer Training. He has been a trustee of five private colleges and acting President of the Atlanta College of Art.

Oglethorpe University

Celebrating the 175th anniversary of its founding in 1835, Oglethorpe University enrolls over 1,000 students representing 34 states and 36 countries. The Princeton Review's The Best 361 Colleges 2010 edition ranks Oglethorpe in its prestigious list, and puts Oglethorpe at #20 for its Professors, #17 for Theatre and #10 for class/race interaction and also names it a Best Southeastern College. Oglethorpe University is Georgia's only coeducational member of the Annapolis Group, an organization of America's most selective liberal arts institutions. Since 2006, Oglethorpe has been named annually to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for commitment to and achievement in community service. The university plays in the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Georgia Shakespeare is the professional theater-in-residence at Oglethorpe. Website: www.oglethorpe.edu