Wednesday, December 20, 2023
I send my deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Boyd Holtan. I know to you, he was Dad or Granddad. To me, he was Dr. Holtan, and I say this with the upmost respect and affection.
At one point in the 1970s, my mother and my sister (both now deceased), and I were all taking classes from Dr. Holtan. They were Preston County elementary teachers and administrators. I was a high school math teacher. Twenty years later, I had found my way to the community college level. I returned to WVU to complete my EdD. Dr Holtan was my doctoral committee chairman. His guidance and mentorship helped me to successfully complete the program. This, in turn, allowed me to become tenured at Pierpont CTC (formerly Fairmont State CTC).
No other professor or colleague affected my teaching practices and pedagogy as much as Dr. Holton. Furthermore, I have great affection for Dr. Holtan as a caring, curious, sharing, and optimistic person who was always kind to me.
Thank you for sharing your loved one with so many educators like me. Please feel free to share these thoughts with anyone you want.
With deepest condolences,
Lalah Wolfe Larew, EdD
Professor Emeritus Piermont CTC
lalahlarew@gmail.com
