Dr. Roberts honored

Meredith Howard, Co-Editor

Lincoln Land Community College honored Dr. John Roberts’ retirement by dedicating a bench and planting a tree in his name on June 4th.

As the college’s longest serving employee and faculty member since its founding in 1966, Dr. Roberts has touched the hearts of many through his teaching and his service oriented personality.

Dr. Roberts spent 48 years teaching History at Lincoln Land.

When asked about his retirement plans, Dr. Roberts remarked about the members of the Springfield community who he sees as struggling and his eagerness to help.

“Maybe I could play a role,” he said. “I was raised that way; you owe something to society.”

Dr. Roberts also expressed his desire to continue personal growth post-retirement.

“Even not teaching anymore, I’m still reading…I want to keep alive in that regard. How do I compensate for not being in the classroom? That would be the biggest challenge…”

Along with the ever present opportunities for growth, Dr. Roberts will also miss the Lincoln Land community. He shared about catching up with a former colleague that taught at the college back in 1971. “We had a wonderful time reminiscing about what it was like to be on the old campus.”

Dr. Roberts has impacted thousands of students during his career at Lincoln Land, and will continue to benefit the local community by furthering his goal to help people in need.