Dr. Henry Outlaw

The collective Delta State University community is mourning the loss of Dr. Henry Outlaw, chair emeritus of the Department of Physical Sciences and professor emeritus of chemistry, who passed away in the early morning hours today at St. Dominic’s Hospital in Jackson, Miss. He was 77 years old.

Outlaw was a 1961 graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in chemistry and biology. He obtained a Master’s of Science and a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Mississippi Medical School.

Outlaw was a professor of chemistry at Delta State University from 1966-2002 and served as chair of the Department of Physical Sciences from 1970-2002. After retiring from his position as chair, he began working as a program associate at the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State. He also worked as a development officer at the Delta State University Alumni-Foundation Office. He was a member of the Delta State University National Alumni Association and a charter member of the Dedicated Statesmen Association comprised of retired employees of the university.

Among his countless contributions to the university, Outlaw worked tirelessly to recruit students to Delta State.

He was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Florida Medical School from 1965-66, and had been a visiting professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina Medical School, a Fellow-in-Residence in the School of Theology at the University of the South, and was a Templeton Fellow in Science and Religion at Oxford University.

With the aid of grants from the Mississippi Humanities Council, he collected oral histories, artifacts and documents related to the Emmett Till murder and developed an travel exhibit that has won national attention. He also received the Chairs Award for Special Achievements in the Humanities.

Additionally, he was a member of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences and the American Chemical Society. In 1995, Outlaw was awarded the Outstanding Chemist Award in by the Mississippi Section of the American Chemical Society. He received the Delta State University Student Government Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and the Dr. Travis Richardson Outstanding Science Teacher Award in 2000. In 2006, he received the Chairs Award from the Mississippi Humanities Council.

In November of 2014, the National Alumni Association created the Dr. Henry Outlaw Faculty/Staff Service Award as a way to recognize former Delta State faculty or staff members who have had a significant influence in the life of the university. Outlaw was the inaugural recipient.

Arrangements are being made for funeral services. Dr. Outlaw will be greatly missed by his Delta State University family.