John Lafeyette Green Jr., a seven-year president of Washburn University in the 1980s, died Jan. 5 in Overland Park. He was 91.
While Green was born in New Jersey on April 3, 1929, he was a Kansas native, spending many of his early years in Topeka before serving in the U.S. Army s 2nd Armored Division during the Korean War.
After receiving degrees from Mississippi State University and Wayne State University, as well as a doctorate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, Green served in various higher education administrative positions before being named Washburn University s 11th president in 1981.
Green oversaw various milestones for the university, including establishing the School of Applied Studies and Continuing Education and splitting the School of Nursing from the College of Arts and Sciences. During his tenure, the university built West Hall, Petro Allied Health Center and the Bennett Computer Center, according to the university. Green was also president when t