Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 1, 1993                   TAG: 9305010047
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

FORMER W&L PROFESSOR, DEAN JAMES LEYBURN DIES AT 91

Leyburn was 91. He died Wednesday at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown, Md.

Leyburn came to W&L in 1947 as dean of the university. He resigned the post in 1955 to devote himself to teaching.

Leyburn chaired W&L's department of sociology and anthropology until 1967. He retired in 1972 with the honor of George Washington Professor Emeritus of Sociology.

Leyburn's tenure as dean was highlighted by his 10-point program for the university's academic development. The "Leyburn Plan" guided curricular progress at W&L in large measure over a quarter-century.

Leyburn held bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from Duke University, a master's in economics and social institutions from Princeton University and a doctorate in sociology from Yale University. Leyburn received honorary degrees from both Duke and W&L.

Leyburn, of Martinsburg, W.Va. - was the author of six books. Two of them - "The Haitian People" and "The Scotch-Irish: A Social History" - are considered classics in the field of sociology. "The Haitian People" received the Anisfield-Wolf Award in 1941 as the best published work on racial relations.

Leyburn will be buried Sunday in the graveyard of the Martinsburg chuch where his father pastored.