Dr. Harrison Duncan Lawless Jr., Ph. D.

Harrison Duncan Lawless, Jr., was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 31, 1910 to the late Harrison D. Lawless, Sr. and Mae Rose Heatley.

He received his early education in the public schools of Baton Rouge.  He graduated from McKinley High School in the famous class of 1928.  He was a football star at McKinley and played on teams coached by the late J. L. Kraft.  He received a baccalaureate degree from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.  He did graduate work at Columbia University in New York, and received the Doctorate Degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

His professional career began in the public schools of Delhi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  He was later employed at Southern University where he became Dean of the Junior College Division.  He retired after 38 years of loyal and devoted service at Southern.

Much of his adult life was spent in Boy Scouting, during which time he was named the First Negro Boy Scout Executive in the State of Louisiana.  He was a member of the Y.M.C.A., McKinley High School Alumni Association, Heritage Choral Auxiliary and the Phi Delta Kappa Honorary Society.

He was the grandson of one of Baton Rouge’s early Baptist Ministers, the Reverend “Pete” Heatley, and his mother was the organist of Mount Zion for more than 40 years.  He was baptized into the Christian Fellowship of Mount Zion at a very early age because of his being born in a devout Christian home.  He was baptized by the late Reverend W. M. Taylor.  He remained a loyal and devoted member of Mount Zion up to his passing.  He will long be remembered at Mount Zion for he served as General Superintendent of the Sunday School for more than 40 years.  He was a member of the Board of Trustees, the December Month Club, and he was a most faithful member of the Pastor’s Aid Club.

He was married to Mrs. Marjorie D. Lawless and had three daughters, Mrs. Rosemary L. Alexander, Mrs. Jacqueline L. Bates and Mrs. Patricia L. Banks.  He had four grandsons, three granddaughters and three great grandsons.

He departed this life on March 12, 1991, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the result of an automobile accident.

Source:  Obituary provided by the McKinley High School Alumni Association