When William M. Suttles was a struggling undergraduate student at Georgia State in the 1930s, then-university president George Sparks loaned him the money to attend class. Later, as an administrator and faculty member at his alma mater, Suttles repaid the favor, helping countless students complete their degrees by paying their tuition, fees and other expenses out of his own pocket.
Suttles served as acting president for two years, until his retirement in 1989, after nearly 50 years of service to the university. Suttles held numerous positions at Georgia State, including executive vice president and provost for 19 years, as well as professor and chair of the speech department, dean of students and vice president for academic affairs.
Suttles held the university together during a period of transition and enormous growth, when the university bloomed from an evening college with one building on Luckie Street to a daytime university with graduate programs and a full-fledged campus.
A native of Ben Hill, Ga., Suttles served as longtime pastor of Haralson Baptist Church in Coweta County and on numerous committees, including the Georgia State Alumni Association, Georgia State Foundation and Georgia State Athletic Association.
The World War II veteran was the recipient of numerous teaching and community service awards, including Georgia State Alumnus of the Year, Clergyman of the Year and Faculty Member of the Year. The university’s on-campus Lanette J. Suttles Child Development Center was named after Suttles’ wife in honor of the couples’ contributions to Georgia State.
Suttles received a doctorate of education from Auburn University, a master’s of religious education from Emory University, a master’s of divinity from Emory, a master’s of divinity from Yale University and bachelor’s degree in commercial science from Georgia State in 1942. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Mercer University and Tift College.
Suttles, 82, died March 31, 2003, from complications related to a stroke.