William Dan Chapman

Wm. Dan Chapman was born on October 5, 1926, in Meridian, MS. He was educated in the public schools of that city, graduating H.S. in 1944. He served in the Pacific theater during WWII and was on Okinawa when the war ended. Returning home, he attended MJC, Ole Miss and USM, graduating in 1950. He was recalled to service in 1950 with the 198th Tank Battalion, where he had served as a Platoon Sgt. and was serving as an a officer with Sonny Montgomery’s “C" company when recalled to active duty for the Korean Conflict. In the states he served as C.O. of the 2nd Army Training Aids Center at Fort Knox. After release, he attended Graduate school at USM and LSU, graduating in 1955. He married Sarah D. Houston in 1954. He has two children, a daughter; Mrs. Vicki C. Taylor (husband Don) is Director of Vocal Music for Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Maitland, FL, and a son, Wm. H. Chapman (wife Jeanine), Band Director in Arlington TX, two Grandsons, Daniel Joel Taylor, and Samuel Houston Taylor, three Granddaughters Marla Elizabeth Rose Taylor, Chelsea Cherie Chapman, and Celeste Michelle Chapman. He is predeceased by a grandson, Jesse Michael Taylor, and his parents Wm. B (Sonny) Chapman and Lillian Simmons Chapman, and his brother George C. Chapman of Newton, MS. He began a college teaching career at ECJC in 1955 and later was a part of the founding faculty at Manatee Jr. College at Bradenton/Sarasota, FL in 1958. He served as Chairman of the Social Science Department and Registrar & Dir. of Admissions until 1968 when he was asked to go to Orlando to help establish a new University, Florida Technological University, later named University of Central Florida, where he served as Registrar and Director of Admissions, responsible for admissions, records support system, registration and the graduation support system. He was one the pioneers in computer assisted records and on-line registration systems. He served his University a quarter century before retiring and was a member of the committee that conceived, developed and helped to implement the common prefix and course numbering system for the Florida Community Colleges and Universities. He also served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA for more than fifty years and was a member of Kiwanis in both the DeSoto and East Orlando Clubs for the same time span. He was around to see the University he helped to build become the second largest in enrollment and the seventh in technical research in the U. S.