Dr. Lawrence O. Christensen, Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history and co-author of a history of the campus, died Saturday, April 16, 2016. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 7, at Christ Episcopal Church, located at 1000 N. Main St. in Rolla.

Dr. Christensen was co-author of UM-Rolla: A History of MSM/UMR, which was published in 1983. His co-author was Dr. Jack B. Ridley, Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history. An expert on Missouri history, Dr. Christensen also co-edited and contributed to The Dictionary of Missouri Biography and co-authored two other books, Missouri: The Heart of the Nation and A History of Missouri, Volume IV, 1875 to 1919. Among his many awards, he received the State Historical Society of Missouri’s Distinguished Service Award and Medallion and the University of Missouri System’s Curators’ Award for Scholarly Excellence.

Survivors include his wife, Maxine Christensen, who also worked at the university for several years.