Lane was born on April 19, 1932, in Austin Texas. He was the first member of his family to complete college. After serving three years during the Korean conflict, Lane earned a B.A. degree from Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia. From there, he went on to Emory University as well as to the University of Georgia, where he received his M.A. and Ph.D. respectively. He worked as an instructor at Georgia State College as well as a teaching assistant at the University of Georgia.

While at Rollins College, Lane acted as chairman for several groups including the Humanities Foundation Courses and the Social Science Division. In addition, he served as a member of the Faculty Administration Committee, the Admissions Committee and Honor Committee, and the Faculty Advisors Board. In 1980, the Board of Trustees appointed Lane as the College Historian and his work enabled him to complete a book and manuscript about the college. He was also recognized with several awards, including the Arthur Vining Davis Fellowship Award in 1972, the Alexander Weddell Professor of the America’s Chair in 1978, and the William Blackman Medal in 1997.

Lane’s academic interests include: American History, Contemporary American Issues, the Great Depression and the New Deal, and American Military and Diplomatic History, just to name a few. He has published several books, including Rollins College: A Pictorial History, The Florida Reader: Visions of Paradise from 1530 to the Present, and Armed Progressive: A Study of the Military and Public Career of Leonard Wood.

O'Sullivan grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, in the St. Aloysius area. He earned his bachelor's degree at Fairfield University and went on to receive his master's degree and Ph.D. from Western Reserve University. Afterward, he taught for several years at Ohio State University before joining the faculty at Rollins.

Eventually, O'Sullivan became the chair of the English Department and chair of the Humanities Division at Rollins. In addition to teaching courses ranging from Irish Studies to Jane Austen: Fiction and Film, he was an advisor for students. O'Sullivan also co-hosted a Summer Teachers Institute for middle and high school teachers. Noted for his cross-disciplinary style of teaching, O'Sullivan was named Kenneth Curry Professor of Literature in 1999. Some of his other distinctions include a silver medal from the 1987 National Professor of the Year Competition, seven years on the Executive Board for the Florida College English Association (which culminated in his position as president of that body in 2001-2002), and the Bornstein Award for Faculty Scholarship in 2004-2005.

O'Sullivan's academic interests include Shakespeare, Irish culture, religion, education, Florida, and popular culture. He has contributed to numerous publications in either the role of author or editor. A few of these works include The Florida Reader (with Jack Lane), Crime Fiction & Film in the Sunshine State: Florida Noir; Florida in Poetry: A History of the Imagination; The Books of Job; FIAT LUX: Teaching in Paradise; Shakespeare Plays the Classroom; Shakespeare's Other Lives: An Anthology of Fictional Depictions of the Bard; Orange Pulp; and the rediscovered 1855 novel A Trip to Florida for Health and Sport. He also wrote numerous articles for The Orlando Sentinel, several of which celebrated Irish heritage.

Born on January 27, 1916, John Oliver Rich grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Rich graduated from Rollins with an A.B. in 1938, and in 1949 received his Master of Arts degree in Education and in European History from Johns Hopkins University. He also completed summer studies at Cambridge University in England, Columbia University in New York, and the Sorbonne in Paris. Between 1942 and 1946, Rich served as a United States Naval Aviation Intelligence Instructor, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Before returning to Rollins, Rich taught at the American School of Paris and was the head counselor of the MacJannet Summer Camps. He specializes in student counseling, vocational guidance, international relations, and is considered an authority on European schools, preferring work with foreign exchange students.

In 1958, Rich was awarded the Fulbright Professor of English at Athens College, Greece, where he instructed students in the English language and American history. Then in 1960, Rich was recognized as the first Dean of Admissions, a title he held until his retirement in 1963. From there, he founded and became the director of the Educational Counseling Service, a government approved nonprofit educational corporation since 1964. Rich also served as the chairman of the American College Board Conference in 1966 and helped found the Independent Educational Consultants Association in 1976. The title of Dean of Admissions Emeritus was bestowed upon Rich in 1997, as well as the prestigious George Morgan Ward Medal in 2002.

Rich has been a member of such groups as the Faculty Committee on Admissions; Academic Standing and Scholarship and Financial Aid; the Board of Trustees of the Winter Park Memorial Hospital; the Book-A-Year Program; Phi Delta Kappa; the Professional Association of Educators; and Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor society in social science.

Seymour was born on June 29, 1928, in New York City. His father was Whitney North Seymour, a well-known attorney and president of the American Bar Association. Seymour attended Princeton and the University of California at Berkley as an undergraduate. From there, he went to the University of North Carolina, studied eighteenth-century English literature, and received his master’s degree and Ph.D. Seymour began his academic career as an English professor at Dartmouth, and five years later became Dean of the College. Before coming to Rollins, Seymour served as president of Wabash College in Indiana for nine years.

While at Rollins, Seymour led the college’s centennial celebration, rededicated the Walk of Fame, raised funds for the construction of the Olin Library and the Cornell Social Science Building, reinstated Fox Day, and actively contributed to various community activities. He served as chairman, vice-chairman, and committee member of numerous academic and civic organizations. Throughout his life, Seymour has been widely known not only as dean and college president, but also an inspiring teacher, a caring counselor, a supportive friend, a charming magician and a leading citizen of the community.

Upon his retirement in 1990, Seymour received an honorary degree from Rollins College. He has also been recognized with honorary doctorates from Wilkes College (PA), Butler University, and Indiana State University. In 1994, he received the Citizen's Award from the Sullivan Committee. Three years later, in 1997, Seymour and his wife, Polly, became Winter Park’s Citizens of the Year, in recognition of their continued service to the community.

Growing up in Hale County, Alabama, as the daughter of a school superintendent, it might not be surprising that Wood eventually pursued a career in higher education. However, that was not her first passion. She earned an undergraduate degree in speech pathology from Auburn University and attended Florida State University for her master's degree in hearing disabilities. Before joining the Rollins community, she co-founded the School for Special Children and coordinated hearing screenings for public school students in Orange County, Florida.

Wood's first challenge at Rollins was to introduce the then-incoming President, Rita Bornstein, to the community. Under her supervision, the original Rollins College Web site came into being, and the Alumni Association had one of the first pages. The association also received two gold medals for excellence from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education while under her direction. These distinctions included featured entries in CURRENTS magazine. Wood is proud of the efficient synergy that has developed between departments over the years, especially fundraising and alumni relations. To her, Rollins alumni are one of the College's most important resources--people who deserve to be treated warmly as individuals.

During her time at Rollins, Wood had the opportunity to meet many fascinating individuals, including "Mister" Fred Rogers (perhaps Rollins' best known graduate); his wife, Joanne; George and Harriet Cornell; and College presidents Thaddeus Seymour, Rita Bornstein, and Lewis Duncan, among a host of others.