Before he served as Missouri's Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner from 1971-87, Arthur Mallory was the fifth - and youngest - president in the history of what then was called Southwest Missouri State College in Springfield.
He was 31 when he began that presidency in 1964, and saw it change from a college to a university before he moved to Jefferson City for the DESE job.
Now known as Missouri State University, the school plans to honor Mallory Friday with its 15th "Bronze Bear" award, which is presented to those who have exhibited "extraordinary achievement and/or outstanding support" for Missouri State, the school said in a news release.
The Board of Governors approved the award in October.
"There is no one more deserving of this honor than Dr. Mallory," current Missouri State President Clifton M. Smart III said, "not only for his successful tenure as president at Missouri State, but also for his role in advancing education statewide."
Smart will present the award to Mallory during MSU's Winter Commencement ceremony Friday.
The news release noted that, "During the turbulent years of campus unrest across the country, Mallory proved himself a capable reconciler, sensitive to the views of students, faculty and the community."
After leaving DESE in 1987, Mallory eventually returned to Springfield as Missouri State's dean of the College of Education, from 1991-94.
He now is a director at the Parents as Teachers National Center Inc.
During his years as DESE's commissioner, the MSU news release emphasized, Missouri lawmakers passed legislation for special education and gifted programs.
"When the Parents as Teachers pilot project results were released, he was instrumental in promoting legislation requiring that every Missouri school district offer a Parents as Teachers program," the release said.
A Buffalo native, Mallory earned his bachelor's degree in education from Missouri State, and his master's and Educational doctorate from the University of Missouri.
Missouri State already has honored him with the dedication of the Arthur L. Mallory Plaza on the North Mall area of campus off Bear Boulevard in Springfield, during the university's centennial in 2005.
Jefferson City Councilwoman Carrie Carroll is a member of the school's Board of Governors.