Jane Lamar Dawkins

jane dawkins

December 18, 1936 ~ August 5, 2023

Memorial services for Jane Lamar Dawkins of Atlanta Georgia, will be held on Friday, August 25, 2023, at 11:00 am, at Cascade United Methodist Church Midtown, in Atlanta. The service will also be livestreamed on cascadeumc.org/jdawkins. The Reverend Dr. Kevin R. Muriel, Senior Pastor, will officiate. Later, a marker will be placed in the family’s plot at Paradise A.M. E. Church, in Union County, South Carolina.

Ms. Dawkins passed away peacefully in her home, following an extended illness, on August 5, 2023. She was 86 years old.

Jane Lamar Dawkins, the only child of Emma Stewart Dawkins Casselberry and Lorry H. Dawkins, was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She was a “campus brat,” among others, who grew up on SC State College’s (University) campus. During her early years, the family also lived in Denmark, South Carolina, where her father became the first principal of SC Area Trade School (now Denmark Technical College).

She entered SC State College (University) at the age of 16. When her mother told her it was “time to grow up”, she transferred to Hampton Institute (University) where she earned a Bachelor’s degree. At age 20, she entered New York University, and within nine months, she earned a Master’s degree in Business Education. While there, she was selected to become a member of Delta Pi Epsilon National Honorary Fraternity.

Like her mother, Jane’s first position was Secretary to the President at Clark College (CAU) in Atlanta, Georgia. At age 23, she decided to follow in her maternal grandfather’s footsteps, and began a college teaching career at Delaware State College (University) in Dover, Delaware. Jane also pursued further studies at Indiana University and the University of Delaware. She was granted tenure and promoted to Assistant Professor. She was also featured in Delaware State’s newspaper as Teacher of the Month.

After teaching at Delaware State for eight years, Jane returned to “Lovely Atlanta” as an assistant professor of Business Education at Clark College (CAU). She served as the first Director of the Writing Proficiency Program, was awarded tenure, promoted to Associate Professor, then promoted to Department Chair. She regularly enrolled in courses and attended conventions to continue to hone her skills. She was active in several professional organizations; and served on numerous boards, councils, and committees at CAU. She was known by her students as a “no nonsense” professor; yet always available to help. Jane earned the honor of being selected as Teacher of the Year. She was a popular professor dedicated to positive the development of young people. Many of her former students continued to keep in touch with her over the years.

In addition, Jane was a consultant, trainer, and lecturer for numerous organizations, government agencies, and businesses. She wrote and revised a manual for training support staff when she won her first contract with Trust Company Bank in Atlanta. She traveled across the states conducting workshops, and participating in professorial internships at IBM in Atlanta, Western Electric in New Jersey, and Standard Oil in Ohio.

Just before retiring from CAU in 2000, Jane worked with others on a Bush grant proposal to formally implement professional development for faculty and staff. The grant was funded, resulting in the school’s Faculty Development Center.

Jane loved to entertain, and she was an avid game player—bridge, bonanza, bid whist, scrabble, in between, etc. She was a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Upon retirement, she volunteered at Hamilton Holmes Elementary School in East Point and Venetian Elementary School in Atlanta, where she assisted students in improving their reading and writing skills.

As a member of Cascade United Methodist Church, she served on the Communications Ministry, Coordinator of Resume Reviewers, and Career Ministry. She was active on The Collaborative, Higher Education, Evangelism, Crossroads Career, and Outreach Ministries, Cascade Deltas, as well as a devoted member of the Women’s Choir. While serving as a co-facilitator for the Crossroads Career course, she created a booklet about what one should know about Cascade Church, which was at one time published and distributed to all families and visitors at Cascade each Sunday. Jane preferred to be hands-on–she worked with the Katrina Project, and the Pine Street Shelter for the Homeless. She started and volunteered at the Cascade Clothes Closet, housed onsite at Cascade.

She was an active member & secretary for The Pomona Park Neighborhood Association and NPU-R. She served as a volunteer usher at the Robert Ferst Theater on Georgia Tech’s Campus and other local theaters. Jane loved to read and experience new, elegant restaurants. As a result, Jane was charter member/secretary/historian of the Literary Lunch Bunch (LLB). She was also a former member of the Godiva Chocolate Book Club, and a charter member of SOS Bridge Club; and remained active in her bridge foursome.

In 2008, she was an extra in Tyler Perry’s movie, MADEA GOES TO JAIL, and a participant in an exercise video for Fulton County, which aired on local television. Her interests were varied— exercise classes; rhythm and blues and smooth jazz music; attending concerts and plays; cheering on her favorite sports teams; and traveling to ocean settings. She could be counted on to know what and where the “latest happenings” were. She took pride in her yard and lovingly nurtured her house plants—some of which she had since her first apartment in 1970.

In February of 2022, The CAU School of Business Administration awarded Jane the Torch Bearer Legacy Medal of Leadership at a formal luncheon held at the University. However, due to her illness, her cousin Jordan Weston accepted the award on her behalf.

Jane leaves to mourn her passing, cousins\sisters, Lisa Dawkins, Ouida S. Jones; Kathryn Brooks (stepsister); cousins: Jordan Weston, Mattie Compton, Janice Whitty, Jesse Reed, III, Derryl Reed, Evert Comer, Jr., Sharon Stewart, Robert Baxter, Markiella Moore, Ethel Sultana Andrews, Lauren Dawkins, Lamar W. Dawkins, Jr., Pennye D. Hamilton, Bettye Otey, Paul Stewart, Jr., and Peter Dawkins; a devoted, loyal friend Laura Dew; a devoted Power of Health, Julia Orr; former devoted students\friends Jacqueline B. Madison, Henry Wherry, and Angela Bowen; along with a host of other dear relatives, friends, and former students.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Jane Lamar Dawkins, may be made payable to these ministries Higher Education Scholarship Fund or the Outreach Ministry, Cascade United Methodist Church Midtown, 458 Ponce DeLeon Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30308; OR payable to Hampton University Scholarship Fund c/o Office of Alumni Affairs, Hampton University, 38 Indian Road, Hampton, VA 23668.

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  1. CHERYL V PHILLIPS says:

    Jane, you’ve been on my mind lately a lot and I googled your name and I found out a year later, you’ve transitioned. I left Georgia four years ago and thought you’d be around forever. You were the best teacher I’ve ever had that cared so much about my future. You will be missed. You were my student advisor and college professor at Clark Atlanta. You will be truly missed, especially that contagious smile! Love you eternally, Cheryl Phillips


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