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Dr. Loftin
7/25/05
by Darrin Devault
Two once-ailing dogs named Jimbo and Paige are responsible for fetching $4,000 for Northwest Mississippi Community College's textbook assistance fund.
Senatobia couples John and Ann Lamar and Haywood and Theresa Greene each brought their dogs to local veterinarian Dr. John Loftin following near-fatal injuries late last year. John Lamar serves as board attorney for Northwest.
The Lamars' dog, Jimbo, suffered a broken pelvis after being hit by an automobile, while the Greenes' shar pei, Paige, had severe facial injuries following an attack by another dog. Each dog was hospitalized and treated at Loftin¹s clinic for at least three weeks.
"We did some major work on both of those dogs," Loftin says. "I told both families, I'm not going to tell you what the amount of the bill is. Instead of paying me, I want you to make a donation to the textbook fund at Northwest. And I'll match whatever you donate."
Loftin says he and his wife, Nancy, were pleased to write checks matching the generous contributions of the Lamars and Greenes to the textbook assistance fund.
Loftin's creative way of supporting the fund in his final year of teaching was essentially a parting gift. "I decided before I quit teaching that I'd leave Northwest something," says Loftin, who recently moved to Hernando and retired after 26 years at Northwest as an adjunct instructor. "The college has been good to me."
Textbooks are an expensive item for college students, particularly in subject areas such as science where the books are frequently updated to stay current. A typical Northwest student will spend between $300 and $450 per semester on textbooks in 2005-06.
"I've had a good number of students who couldn't afford textbooks," Loftin recalls. "And I've bought several books for students over the years."
Sales from Northwest's first faculty and staff cookbook published in 2004 have also boosted the textbook assistance fund. Copies of "Cooking Lessons," now in its second printing, are available in the Alumni Affairs Office for $15.
Each semester, faculty members at Northwest make recommendations to a textbook committee to determine which students have the greatest need for assistance.
Northwest Director of Development Sybil Canon says: "This project is dear to Dr. Loftin's heart because he has seen many students during his years of teaching at Northwest come to class without textbooks. He has paid for these textbooks out of his own pocket, and when he learned that we have been raising money for textbook assistance through cookbook sales, he was elated."
Call (662) 560-1105 if you would like to purchase a cookbook or make a tax-deductible contribution to the college's textbook assistance fund.
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