Dr. Angela Laird Brenton
1953 ‒ 2013
Dr. Angela Laird Brenton, Western Carolina University’s late provost and vice chancellor, will be honored this Thursday, June 20, with a special memorial service celebrating her life.
Brenton passed away on May 8 after a three-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Her community memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Grand Room of the A.K. Hinds University Center. Chancellor David O. Belcher will host the ceremony.
The event is open to anyone and will include an opportunity for attendees to speak about their memories of Brenton and how she impacted them personally.
For more information on the life of Brenton and her contributions to WCU, see WCJ’s earlier coverage:
Angela Laird Brenton: 1953 ‒ 2013
Belcher has appointed Dr. Beth Lofquist as interim provost while the Provost Search Committee seeks someone to permanently fill the position. Lofquist previously served as interm provost during the 2011-2012 academic year while the university conducted the search which resulted in the hiring of Brenton.
Lofquist “has a great deal of understanding of the role of the provost and of the important issues with which we at the university are working,” Belcher said. “I am so grateful to her for coming out of retirement for this period of time.”
The WCU Provost Search Committee has already published an advertisement and received interest from potential applicants. “Our timeline calls for finalists to visit WCU in September, for the hiring to be finalized in early October, and for the permanent provost to join the university in January 2014,” Belcher said.
