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Dr. John Williams, who taught at LaGrange College for 26 years, and David McCollum, a longtime advocate of the college, were named honorary alumni during the college’s Homecoming awards luncheon on Oct. 25.

Established in 2012, the Honorary Alumni award recognizes individuals who have achieved a distinguished record of service, support, advocacy and commitment on behalf of LaGrange College.

Dr. John Williams came to LaGrange College in 1989 as an English professor, a position he held until his retirement from the institution in 2015.

He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Auburn University and a doctorate in English from Georgia State University.

While at LaGrange, Dr. Williams served as chair of the cultural enrichment committee and coordinated the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in 1991 and 1992.

In his retirement, he has been working as an instructor and mentor in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Williams also writes fiction, non-fiction, plays, essays and film scripts. In 2003, he received the Georgia Writers’ Georgia Author of the Year award for his first novel, “Lake Moon.” His most recent project was co-writing the screenplay for “Fried Chicken Day,” a production filmed in LaGrange. Other publications include “End Times” and “Atlanta Pop in the 50s, 60s and 70s: The Magic of Bill Lowery.”

David McCollum is the chief financial officer at Mid-State Energy Authority, a provider of natural gas to more than 5,000 customers in six counties.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

McCollum, a certified public and management accountant, has 25 years of experience driving organizational success through tracking and analyzing operating results and financial measurements. 

His role as a financial leader in several organizations throughout his career has involved protecting corporate assets through the development of strong internal controls and implementation of reliable accounting policies and procedures. McCollum enjoys working across all disciplines to encourage greater understanding of financial measurements and to develop tools and information needed to plan, direct and track achievement.

He lives in Macon, Georgia, with his wife, Kathy.