Waters, L. L.

L. L. Waters was a professor of Transportation and Business History in the Indiana University School of Business from 1948 until his retirement in 1978. Waters was a recognized authority on transportation and business.

From the description of L. L. Waters papers, 1921-1994, bulk 1940-1994. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 704434596

Lawrence Leslie Waters was born in Axtell, Kansas, on February 3, 1913. He earned a B.S. from Central Missouri State in 1935, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1939. Waters taught in the School of Business at the University of Kansas from 1939 to 1948, where he won an Excellence in Teaching award in 1947.

In 1948, Waters came to Indiana University as a professor of Transportation and Business History in the School of Business. He remained with the school until his retirement in 1978. Waters won Excellence in Teaching awards in the Business School in 1971, 1974, and 1976. He was the coordinator of the European Productivity Agency program at Indiana University from 1955 to 1960 and played a role in the Indiana University International Business Forum from 1980 to 1994. From 1961 to 1966, Waters was the IU administrator of the Ford Foundation program for the improvement of teachers.

Dr. Waters was a recognized authority on transportation and business. He authored or co-authored over a dozen books in these fields and wrote numerous articles, speeches and book reviews. He edited innumerable books and articles, and served on the editorial boards of several publishers and journals.

Waters belonged to or held high offices in many professional organizations. Especially noteworthy was his service with the American Society of Traffic and Transportation, for which he served as a Director, President, and Chairman of the Board; his work with the Military Airlift Committee of the National Defense Transportation Association (Advisory Board, 1973-1984); and finally, his service to the Transportation Council of the United States Department of Commerce (member of Executive Committee, 1957-1960). Waters served as a consultant for corporations and for governmental units at the state and national level. He was on the board of directors of many companies, including Yellow Freight and Baldwin & Lyons, Inc.

The honors Waters received during the course of his long career include: the Salzberg Honorary Medallion Award, presented by Syracuse University (1985); the National Defense Transportation Association's President's Award for Contributions to National Defense (1984); the Joseph C. Schleen Award for Excellence in Traffic and Transportation, presented by the American Society of Traffic and Transportation (1978); Distinguished Business Scholar, 1976-1977, by Beta Gamma Sigma; and the Distinguished Service Award in Transportation and Public Utilities, presented by the American Economic Association (co-winner, 1976). Waters was Indiana's Transportation Man of the Year in 1974. In 1979, the Indiana Transportation Conference was renamed the L. L. Waters Transportation Conference. Waters was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Ghent (1979) and Indiana University (1987).

Waters married Mary Louise Harrison in 1937. They had three children: Robert Lawrence, Linda Jean, and Donna Louise. As of this writing, Waters is retired and living in Bloomington.

From the guide to the L. L. Waters papers, 1921-1994, bulk 1940-1994, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)