Dr. Larry Phillips was president of Angelina College when construction of Shands Gymnasium began. He spent plenty of time there over the years, both while serving in his professional role and as a fan in his post-retirement life. He led Commencement ceremonies inside the facility, and he watched his Roadrunner and Lady Roadrunner basketball teams compete there.
It seemed only fitting that his memorial service would take place on the Shands Gymnasium floor.
AC on Sunday held a memorial service for Phillips, who passed away on January 27 of this year. Phillips, just the second president in Angelina College’s 56-year history, served in the role from 1991 until his retirement in 2015.
With a crowd of family, friends, former employees and student-athletes filling the seats, guest speakers paid tribute to Phillips’ life and legacy. Current AC president Dr. Michael Simon, who succeeded Phillips, spoke of Phillips’ love of the college – “He seemed to know every tree and landmark on this entire campus” – and its people, along with Phillips’ vision for reaching students wherever he could locate them. Simon also mentioned how much “family” meant to Phillips, whether it was his own or the AC family.
Dr. Patricia McKenzie worked alongside Phillips for the entirety of his tenure, and she told the crowd of his work in expanding the AC reach throughout its 13-county service area. McKenzie shared the tale of having Phillips return from a meeting or conference somewhere only to have everyone involved in his next meeting break out the “yellow legal pads.”
“He’d come up with so many new ideas, and he wanted to make sure we wrote all of them down,” McKenzie said. “And he always wanted those old-school yellow legal pads.”
The final speaker for Sunday’s memorial was Phillips’ younger brother Gene, who shared childhood tales while highlighting Larry’s leadership – “He always took charge of whatever we were doing, and he made sure we were taken care of while we did it” – along with Larry’s incredible intelligence gleaned through voracious reading habits. Gene also mentioned a few of his brother’s “invented golf shots.”
Gene stressed his older brother’s knack for “showing up.” Whether it was a basketball game (both Larry and Gene were standout collegiate basketball players), a family event or a professional obligation, Gene said, his brother was going to be there.
“There were so many times my family would have an event somewhere, and Larry would tell us he wasn’t sure if he could make it,” Gene said. “Then, about 10 minutes before the game or whatever would start, he’d just show up.”
Gene added, “I have no doubt that when Larry entered the gates of Heaven, the Lord Jesus himself greeted him and told him, “I knew you’d show up.’”
