LSUA dean, community leader honored with Rotary's Service Above Self award
The "little guy from Boyce, La." was quite honored to be selected as this year's recipient of the Rotary Club of Alexandria's Service Above Self Award.
"It's quite an honor to even be mentioned with the individuals who are on that particular list," said Dr. Haywood Joiner, dean of the college of health and human services at LSUA. "So I realize I am standing on the shoulders of giants and among giants within this room."
Past award recipients include Jacque and Ed Caplan, Harry Silver, Jonathan Martin, Mike Tudor and Sara Simmonds.
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"Dr. Joiner is such a standup colleague and human being. He's such a great guy who serves without expecting to receive anything," said Melinda Fitzgerald Anderson, assistant vice-chancellor of institutional advancement and alumni relations and executive director of the LSUA Foundation. She was also among the group of Rotarians who nominated Joiner.
"Service is what I do," he said in his speech. "Service is what I feel the Creator has called me to do. So any opportunity I get to serve - and I've been blessed in all of the positions I have held in my life, they were positions I've had to serve."
The Rotary Club has given him the opportunity to serve through many of its programs, added Anderson.
Through the years he has served on a number of community boards, said Anderson. Among them are ones for the Arna Bontemps African-American Museum; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Kiwanis Club; Education chair of the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce; Health Occupation Student Association; Workforce Investment Board; Central Louisiana Area Health Education; the Rapides Parish Housing Authority; Rapides Regional Medical Center; the Rapides Civil Service Commission; and the Central Louisiana Regional Port Commission.
Joiner is a member of Goodwin Missionary Baptist Church where he serves as Chairman of the Deacon's Ministry, Chairman of Finance, Sunday School teacher and choir member.
After serving in the Air Force, he worked at St. Frances Cabrini Hospital for 25 years. Later on, he became administrator of Winward Hospital. Then accepted a position as director of the Medical Lab Science Program at Southern University in Shreveport where he was also the chairman of the division of Allied Health.
In 2004, he joined LSUA where is now the dean of the college of health and human services. In 2016, he served as interim chancellor while the school conducted a search for a new chancellor.
He and his wife Mary have been married for 55 years. They have two children and 4 grandchildren. He earned his bachelor's in biology and doctorate's in allied health from Grambling University and his master's in education administration and supervision from Northwestern State University.
The Rotary Club also announced three recipients of the club's scholarships. Students must be residents of Rapides Parish and attend Louisiana State University at Alexandria; Louisiana Christian University or Centra Louisiana Technical Community College. Morgan Tradewell of Buckeye High School and Anna Hooker of Oak Hill High School will be students at Louisiana Christian University. Emily Atwood of Bolton High School received the W.E. Pate Scholarship and will attend LSUA.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Rotary Club honors community leader with Service Above Self Award
