CHESAPEAKE, VA – L.T. Holloman Jr. left earth on Wednesday, February 24th to explore the cosmos.
Son of Hank Holloman and Willie Mae Holloman, he was born in Harrellsville, North Carolina in 1941 and lived most of his life in Norfolk, Virginia. He taught history at Truitt Junior High and Oscar Smith Middle for 38 years and was beloved by his many students, who often enjoyed being defeated by him in ferocious after school basketball games. He was a graduate of Chowan College and Atlantic Christian College with graduate studies at Old Dominion University. His hobbies included meteorology and cosmology, always eager for news of space exploration. He enjoyed a life of friends, food, sports, and traveling. After a fun-filled eighty years, he was laid to rest in his native Harrellsville.
Garrett-Sykes Funeral Service, Ahoskie, NC is handling the arrangements for the Holloman family and online condolences can be directed to the family by visiting www.garrettsykesfs.com.
I had Him for history he was an incredible knowledge base for History especially WW2. Helped give me a love of History. I found out about his passing while trying to see if I could find him. I have a Ww2 collection of books passing 200. I can still say the specs of the Wright brothers plane and feel the sea spray as he threw water at us while telling us about it.
Like others have posted – L.T. Holloman was my 6th grade teacher and then went on to Truitt Jr. High with our class. He made learning fun and always cared for his students. Most of us don’t remember all of our teachers – but those of us who had the honor of being taught by L.T. certainly remember him as one of the greats.
I first met Mr. Holloman at Truitt Jr. High in 1985. I was in his history class and what a class it was! When I entered the classroom the first thing I noticed were the terms on the blackboard (hundreds of them), maps everywhere, his desk situated in the middle of the room with desks surrounding it, and his ebullient, excited demeanor. Who was this guy? He wasn’t like any of my other teachers. He loved to teach and we had a blast in his classroom! There are so many memories, but a few come to mind. He frequently had us act out historical events: we staged the assassination of Ferdinand and Sofie (two of my friends in desks mimicking driving the car as the Archduke and wife, the class pretending to be at the parade, and one student playing the assassin); the Bataan death march in WWII – we marched around the room acting it out; “No Man’s Land” between the trenches in WWI, running across the tops of desks while having phone books thrown at us to simulate the attack. And I can’t forget that if he was ever reading a story to us while we were sitting at our desks. If he arrived at any description of water (crossing a river, etc.), watch out for a douse of water from his desk! That will get someone to pay attention. The class was rearranged and changed nearly every time we met. We had so many experiential activities in which he naturally engaged. I distinctly remember one of my history exams having a hand-drawn picture of the JFK assassination and having to fill in and draw elements of that terrible part of our history. I remember so much of what he taught because of how he taught us. What was so distinctive about Mr. Holloman, was his enthusiasm for teaching, the dedication to his students to understand and enjoy history, and his willingness to listen intently when we had any kind of struggle. He always played basketball after school and many of us played him in the gym (he had such a great 3-point shot). I don’t remember that we ever beat him. I have thought about him for years and since becoming a professor, see him as such a strong and positive influence on my teaching style, enthusiasm for helping others learn, and the use of experiential activities, metaphors, and other methods to help information make sense to my students and supervisees. I am proud to have been his student all those years ago. May God Bless you, LT Holloman! You were a wonderful man and will be missed.
I had the privilege of teaching with LT for many years at Truitt and Oscar Smith Middle School. We were not only colleagues but I considered LT a friend. Many times you could find the both of us in the school gym playing basketball with the students after school. Rest in Peace LT
Love LT’s History class. All my brothers and sister had him and he called us the Moose’s. He made History come alive. He had a 36” yard stick that he would always slam on the desk, cups of water that he would douse the students in the spirit of the attack of Pearl Harbor, Battle of Normandy, etc. We would always go up to the school during winter break and play Basketball. LT was the master of the 3 point set shot. He would get on fire and wouldn’t miss a shot. I have an undergraduate and graduate degree and his class was by far the best learning environment I ever had. LT ALWAYS kept it interesting. RIP and thanks for the impact you had on thousands of students it will not be forgotten.
Mr Holloman was hands down the most energetic and memorable teacher I ever known. He was very instrumental in my athletic success. He donated his personal time to help us. I loved him and will truly miss knowing he is not around.
LT was such a wonderful person and teacher. I have many memories of him as I was the Assist. Principal at Truitt from 1991 until 1994. He taught like no other teacher and I always enjoyed observing his class. I can still hear his booming voice say, “One, two, three, bon” for his famous quizzes. As the AP who did student scheduling, I always got tons of requests from students and their parents to be in Mr. Holloman’s class. Parents often said to me that they had been in LT’s class and they wanted their children to have that same kind of experience. I can also recall the heartbreak we all felt one day when LT had a heart attack at school and the paramedics took him out on a stretcher. Students and staff alike were so worried. When I went to the hospital after school to see him, the ICU nurses asked me, “Who is this man that we have in ICU? Is he a celebrity? We have never, ever, had so many calls in ICU to check on a patient.” I explained that he was a beloved teacher and was quite well know by everyone in South Norfolk. There will never be another like LT Holloman. He made History come alive for all of his students. We are all blessed for having known this wonderful person. My most sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
Mr Holloman was my history teacher. You never knew what to expect when you went to class. Didn’t know if the bomb would hit you when it landed. Mr holliman was a great teacher and I enjoyed being in his class. Everybody wanted him as a teacher. One day in particular one of the girls had a music function she was going to after his class. She was in the front row when a glass of water went through the air and soaked her. She started crying Mr Holloman felt bad. Everybody started laughing, because was funny. He was a funny guy. He will be highly missed. Just one of his memory thought you would appreciate it.
Mr. Holloman’s class gave me a thirst for history and the details related. Just recently I was describing to my grandchildren that history wasn’t boring and told one of my memories about him standing on his desk and separating the class by ratio for those lost at Normandy, in the prison camps, etc. He made it fun, real, and helped us with the context. He gave us the education and tools that would help us in the future. His teaching was his testimony. I am a better person for having been exposed to him. His students are his legacy. Rest well, Mr. Holloman.
I am posting this for L. T.’s friend – Lillian Anne Holloman Johnson. Lillian Anne does not ‘do’ computers but she wants all readers to know she loved L. T. all of her life. L. T. and Lillian Anne’s parents owned general stores and homes in Harrellsville within a block of each other. The school was very small and our basketball coach ‘handed out’ uniforms at the beginning of ‘ball season’. The students turned in the ball suits at the end of the season for next year’s use. Lillian Anne’s black bottoms were WAAAAY too big for her so skinny Lillian Anne altered the pants by sewing a probable 5 inch inside seam on each side. The girls played first and then the boys game was played. During warm-up L. T. split his black pants beyond all modesty measures. What to do with a much-needed star player and no uniform pants for him to play? Quick thinking – now this is after Lillian Anne had worn the pants an entire sweating game of basketball competition! Quick thinking snatched the stitching from each side of Lillian Anne’s uniform black pants and viola!!! L. T. had uniform pants and could use his basketball talents for hopefully a WIN.