In 1996 Dr. Lorayne Woy Lester became the first female dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, a job she expected to have for three years but which stretched into six. She retired in 2002 after 49 years of association with UT—from student to faculty member to administrator. She enrolled at UT in 1953, majoring in English. She graduated in 1957 and went on to earn a master’s in English. In 1960 she began teaching English and continued to work in the English Department until she became the head of the Speech and Theatre Department in 1978. When the department split, she became the head of the Department of Speech Communication. After four years as head of that department, she became associate dean of arts and sciences (1990). She served as associate dean until being named dean in 1996.
In 2003, the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors/Associates, faculty, staff, and friends established the Lorayne W. Lester Award to recognize a faculty member or an exempt staff member who has demonstrated outstanding service through research, outreach, and or administrative, teaching, or advising services to the College of Arts and Sciences, the State of Tennessee, the local community, or beyond. Lester was inducted into the Educators Hall of Honor in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences before she passed away in 2014.