Collection Title: Wells T. Lovett Papers
Series Number: RG005-23-01
Department: Board of Regents
Processed and Cataloged by: LaDonna Hamontree and Sarah Hardaway
Date Listed: October 26, 2023
Size of Collection: .45 linear feet
Number of Boxes: 1 document box.
Type of Material: Papers: ephemera, correspondence, diary.
Condition of Material: Good.
Arrangement: Chronology and type.
Historical Information: The Murray State Normal School Board of Regents was formally established by the governor of Kentucky on March 22, 1924. The Board first met on April 14, 1924 and continues to meet regularly to the present day. The Board's primary responsibility is to endorse the concept of shared authority and responsibility in the governance of the institution and provide an advisory role to the president of the university.
Biographical Info on Wells T. Lovett
Wells Thomas Lovett was born to Laurine Wells and Joe Thomas Lovett at Oakhurst, in Murray, KY on December 6, 1923. He attended Murray State University and the University of KY where he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and later graduated from Ohio State University. He served as an officer in the US Navy during and directly after WWII. Later he attended the University of Michigan where he received his Juris Doctorate and became president of The Barristers. He practiced law in Owensboro for over fifty years and was active in Democratic politics, serving as Speakers’ Chairman for the successful gubernatorial campaign of his friend, Edward T. Breathitt, and as an alternate delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He served as Commissioner and Chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission. He also continued his mother’s and grandfather’s tradition of service as a two-term Murray State University Regent from 1992 to 2004. In 2011, Murray State University recognized his service by naming the reading room in the Forrest Pogue Special Collections Library in his honor. His portrait can be found at the entrance to the reading room.
Scope and Content: The collection includes ephemera, correspondence, and a diary belonging to the late Wells T. Lovett.
Subject Headings / Descriptors:
Murray State University. Board of Regents.
Lovett, Wells T.
