University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Yearbook (Oxford, MS)

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yi-urs to 1-uiiu-, SllIH'l'lllll'llllt'lll liiiu':iiiium ri-liu-tziiitly rvsigiu-il his State nfliuv ziiul :ww-plml ilu- pri-sule-iu-y nl' ilu- I. l. N ff. ll2lVlllg.1' lu-1-11 iimiiiiiiuiiisly vlvctcul by flu' luiziral of trusli-1-s, iw-spmuliiig lu ilu- call ol' Qliily illltl tlul vlziims of the girls ul' Mississippi, :is ilu- luvziiwl pri-sviitvcl 'flux wish to him. 'l'lu1 1ramsl'oi'iii:lti4m :if mum wi-miglil in llul 1-ulli-gi-, tlu- ilmililiiig' in ai few yi-airs nl' its faculty ziiul stiuli-111 luuly. ilu' aulflilum ul' hiiililiiig' z1l't4-1' liiiilmlilig. :iiul tlu- rvzuly ri-spcmsc uf siu-4-1-ssivv lu-gislziliiix-s In l'i'c-sulviit liiiu-zmimius 1-liupu-iii zippvnls for fluids to nu-vt, tlu- iiuwvzisiiig' iuwils ul' tlul gi-wily iiistitiitum, fmully pmuflaiiiicd by tblux'vi'imi' Y2Il'l,l2llll2lll mul ullu'i's llufpricli- ul'll1vS1z1l1-.H arv f2lCtS2lS fai'fn1n0Ll :is tlu- iiislilillimi, attm-sting' lum' 1-lflivii-lilly l'1'vsi4lv11t lilllvilllllllll met the great domziiuls mzulv upon him, ziiul Fill' siirpzissiul thv l'XllCI'llilll0IlS of thc board mul vw-11 the lwst ul' his l'i'uxiuls. Sn ilistiiigiiislival hzivv liven his svrviccs to the I. l. 8 U. that 1'l'Ill'2lll'lll.Y has lul luw-in 1-:illi-il in similau' positions in uther Stzitvs. But ilu-so lizivv iiunvm-il him liltlv. lm' his mvii Slillll iliily ziiul zlltmrtimi have held him iiillvxilily tirm. siiprviiully loyal. In NUV1'llllN'l'. lflllli, lu- was vznlla-Ll tu thc vlizmm-llursliip ui' the State Univcr- sity, but ilu-liiu-il tu eu-vi-pt it fm'1'1-asniis szitisfa0tio1'y to himsvlf. In Jmuf, last, Mr. Kiiu-amum was zigniii 1-li-vtvil to tlux cliziiu-1-llursliip of tlu- L'11ivQ1'sity, and :ith-1' imviiig haul iium- pmvc-1' l,'llIlfll1'l'f'll upon him than lu-rvtufu1'c given to any i-liaiiu-rllm'. lul an-i-it-ptwl it. Riu-1-iitly the l'11ivv1'sity of Arkzmsns COI1f01'I'9ll upon him thc titlu of lill. ll, Ili- has nuirc them fulfilled our Qxpvctations and bids liilll' lo plzu-v tlu- lvlllVl'l'Sllj' uf Mississippi high in the Qcluczitioual roll of tlu- 1'1ii111t1'y. fatal' 5 sr f 0 S

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English teachers, Prof. NV. II. Magruder. and under the general supervision and friendly counsel of Hen. Stephen Il. Lee. well termed the father of industrial education in the South. In 1886. as siiperintendent of Meridian Public Schools. A. A. Kincannon came into prominence as a leader in the educational awakening and re-organization of the common schools of the State. lIe found in Meridian a single. disorganized. unequipped schoolg in ten years he added five schools and developed a popular, well articulated city school system. During this period his intluence in the State Teachers' Association and in county institutes was notably weighty in the promotion of various reforms, and naturally so. being' as he was. the founder and head of the lirst and largest city school system in the State. on It should be mentioned that in MSS. an epoch in his life was made when he was united in marriage with Miss Mary George Barksdale, daughter of NVilliam R. Barksdale, of Grenada. Miss., and oldest grandchild of Senator -I. Z. George. Thus added incentive to effort eanie into his life, and with it the sympathy and encouragement of a wife who has always entered fully into his plans and has often proven herself singularly wise and timely in her counsel. In 1805. after a brilliant canvass. in which he triumphed over a political combination that seemed invineible. Mr. Kineannon was nominated by accla- mation for State Superintendent of Education by the largest Democratic con- vention ever assembled in Mississippi. In spite of the strong sentiment in the Legislature of 1806 favoring' the reduction of the eonnnon school fund, the appropriation committee reelimniending only rFT00,000, Superintendent Kin- cannon succeeded in inducing- the Legislature to inerease the appropriation to 5950.000 per annum. and secured also an inereased appropriation for summer normals. Of the wholesome sehool laws that bear his impress mention will be made of only one. the creation of the State Board of Examiners, generally con- ceded by the best authorities to be a wise statute. His reports as State Super- intendent of Education to the Legislature attracted wide attention on account of their excellence both in subject matter and in style. Favorable criticism was evoked from the leading' sehool journals of the United States. Meanwhile the Industrial Institute and C'olleg'e for the white girls of the State. having passed through years of internal diseord and weakness of admin- istration, had reached a crisis in its history. Doubtful. indeed, if the Legislature would appropriate funds tor its support. as matters then stood. Governor MeLaurin. Bishop Galloway and other members of the board of trustees urged Superintendent Kineannon as a patriotic Mississippian to accept the presidency of the college and save the institution. XVith his plans for the public school system but beginning' to be developed. and expecting' no call to other Work f0I' 7

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