Dr. Lamar was born on April 2, 1942, in McComb, MS, to Mary Mackey and Q. C. Lamar. He taught history at Delta State University for 34 years. While at Delta State, he served as the editor of Delta Scene Magazine. He was active in Phi Alpha Theta and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Societies as an advisor. For many years, he directed the student overseas travel program for the university. He was a member of the Lamda Chi Alpha fraternity, the Lions Club, and the Kiwanis Club. Dr. Lamar was a member of the Mississippi Historical Society and the Southern Historical Society. He was a licensed Lay Reader in the Episcopal church. As a lifelong lover of baseball, he enjoyed spending summers umpiring high school baseball games and was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family and was a beloved father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Curt and Dana moved to Louisville, MS in 2017 to be closer to family.
Dr. Lamar is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dana Townes Lamar of Louisville, MS; his children, Elise Lamar Self (Greg) of Madison, MS; Bethany Lamar Baskin (Wade) of Louisville, MS; and Kendall Townes Lamar (Wendy) of McKinney, TX; his grandchildren, Brandon Self (Emily) of Colorado Springs, CO, Mallory Bell (Andy) of Huntsville, AL, Anna Katharine Forster (Jackson) of Louisville, MS, Austin Baskin (Meagan) of Ocean Springs, MS, Lucy Lamar of McKinney, TX, Claire Baskin of Oxford, MS, Annelise Self (Sam) of Madison, MS, Piper Lamar of McKinney, TX, Mimi Lamar of San Francisco, CA, and Quinlan Lamar of McKinney, TX; and his great grandchildren, Maddox and Ella Claire Forster of Louisville, MS, Adelaide and Breanna Self of Colorado Springs, CO, and Noah, Bradley, and Caleb Bell of Huntsville, AL.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Melissa and Leslie from Gentiva Hospice for the excellent care given to their loved one in his final days. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital, Memphis, TN.