Emory and Henry College - Sphinx Yearbook (Emory, VA)

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HISTORICAL SKETCH The development of Emory end Honry College has for one hundred and twenty-five years been a major investment of Houston Conference of tho Methodist Church. The College is the oldest institution of learn- ing in southwest Virginia and is ono of the few schools in this whole aroa opened as a collogo. continued undor its original name, and still Supported by the founding organization. 1963 marks the one-hundred-and-twonty-fifth anniversary of the oponing of tho Collego. It was on April 2. 1838 thot tho first students began classos here. Emory and Henry Collego was established by the Holston Conference when tho conference memberhsip was twonty- nine thousand. Todoy. Holston Conference reaches from Chattanooga. Tennessee to Radford. Virginia, and provides for threo conference col- leges. The Collego was named in honor of two great loadors: Bishop John Emory of tho Methodist Church and Patrick Henry, the groat Amoricon orator and Revolutionary patriot. Tho first president of the College was the Reverend Charles Collins. Today. Or. Earl G. Hunt, Jr., is the fourteenth president of the institution. Among the names associated with the founding of tho Collogo are the nemos of Tobias Smyth. Creed Fulton and Colonel William Byars. Creed Fulton wos appointed to select the sito for the College. In 1835 when he was returning from Annual Conference in Abingdon. Virginia, he stayed overnight in the home of Tobias Smyth. Smyth in- fluenced Fulton to select a site one mile from his homo for the new college. A cabin similiar to the home of Tobios Smyth stands todoy on the Emory and Henry campus as a tributo to the establishment of tho Colleqe on its present location. Colonel William Byars wos a prominent land owner and planter in this area of southwest Virginia. His gifts greatly benefited tho founding of the college. The Byers name is memorialized in the Momorio! library which serves not only as the Collego library but also the quorters for tho two drnote literarysocloty halls which are as old os the college itself. The name of Creed Fulton is immortalized on the Physics Building end Observatory. This building wos built in 1915 with funds raised by the College. A major portion of this money was roisod at a locturo given by William Jennings Bryan on the campus. Mr. Bryan came to the campus through the efforts of Dr. Fred Allison. '04. Today tho campus stretches over one hundred acres of land. To eithor side of the green hills on which the college is built are mountain ranges. At the heart of the compus is tho Memorial Chapel symbolic of the emphasis ploced on the Christian religion at Emory and Honrv College. There are twenty-three buildings on the campus and sevoral others on the drawing boards for the immediate future. Among these future buildings aro tho fine arts building, a new auditorium, an ex- pendod librory or a now one. and residence quartors. Emory and Henry Collogo has benefited greatly from the qifts of many olumni and frionds. The gifts of these people have enabled the College to provide better facilities and finer academic opportunities for the students. The most recent bequest to tho college was tho bulk of the estate of Frederick T. Kelly. 'OS. and his wife. Tho amount of this qift oxceodod ono million dollars. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley's qift has mado possible incroosod ondowmont for tho institution and many needed improvements. The Kellys are buried in the Holston Cemetery on tho hill overlooking the campus of the colleqo whoso growth will bo qreatly enhanced because of their belief in higher education through o church- related colleqe. The qifts of other alumni have boon significant to the growth of the collego. The establishment of the Henry Carter Stuart Chair of Erqllsh by ox-Governor Stuart. '74. was done so by his gift of one hundred thousand dollars. Dr. Hugh Hawthorne, '06, was for many years president of the Pocahontos Steamship Company and qeneral counsel and director of the Consolidation Coal Company of Pittsburgh. He sorvod as Presi- dent of the Board of Trusteos of Rlvorside Church of New York City for many years. His death in 1962 was the end of a close association with his Alma Mater. He left two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for tho establishment of a Chair of Political Science. Recently, the first BAYS BLACKWELL LECTURESHIP was hold on tho campus. This lectureship was mado possible kfy Dr. Robert loo Blackwell. '21. who established this important lectureship in memory of his fother. The Iccfuroship brouqht Sir Hugh Foot. United Kingdom Ambassador to the United Nations, to tho campus. The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation of Winston-Salem. North Carolina, awarded Emory and Henry College a qrant ,of twenty-five thousand dollars to be used as the ondowmont for o lectureship in memory of R. J. Reynolds, founder of the tobacco dynasty, who attended Emory and Henry for two yoars. In 1913 the SPHINX was dedicated ro R. J. Reynolds. Throuqh the years Emory and Honry alumni havo made significant contributions to community, state and nation. Our alumni are found in all areas of life whore educated people aro servinq. History has recorded the nemo of General J. E. B. Stuart of Civil War famo 157

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Tobiat SnytH Houic 1838 MACTE VIRTUTE' 1963 Emory Henry College E. E. WiUy Adminiitrative Building

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Creed Fulton Obsorvatory and Physici Building Gonoral Stuart was a student at this colloqc bofore attendinq West Point. Three qraduates have been governors: Henry Carter Stuart. '74, and Georqo Campbell Peery, '94, both servod as governor of Virqinia: 8ra«fon B. Comer. '69. was qovornor of Alabama. Other qraduates have served in Congress and other areas of government. Tho Bishops of the Methodist Church numbor three Emory and Henry graduates among Byars Memorial Library E. E. Wiley Administrativo Building their membership: Hoss. lambuth and Watorhouso. Emory and Henry alumni were once servinq at the same time as presidents of the American Medical Association and the National Education Association. Dr. Fred Allison. '04. is one of the Icodinq scientists in Americo. His discovery of two of tho olemenls on tho periodic chart went unrecognized for yoars, but gradually ho has beon qivon credit for their discovery. The modern radioisotopos laboratory in the Gibson Scionce Building was established and named in honor of Dr. Allison, who was the first to publish experimental evidence on tho existence of the heavy isotopo of hydroqon. This evidence was a significant contribution to the advance- ment of atomic and nuclear scionce. Dr. Robert E. L. Humphreys, '89. was a retired Diroctor and Vice- President of Standard Oil Company of Indiana. It was his work with the holp of an associate that led to tho development of tho thermal method of cracking petroleum hydrocarbons to produce qesoline. Emory and Honry graduates havo mado outstanding achiovomcnts in the fields of rellqion and education. College presidents, deans and profossors rank among tho alumni. Many outstanding ministers and missionaries and school teachors have served tho world better as a rosult of their association with Emory and Henry College. Dr. George J. Stovonson. Chairman of tho Department of History and Political Scionce of the Colloqo. will publish in Ocfobor of this year a detailod and scholarly history of the college. This comprehensive study deals with the theory behind the formation of tho college ond its force on this area of the South, Tho boot is an accurate account of the history of the college since its foundation. It will also sorvo os a source book for a study of history of this section of the United Statos. The 1962-63 acedomic yoar marked the bcqinninq of an intons-ve self-study by tho college of evory phoso of its activities. This self- study will yiold now plans for tho futuro ond will becomo the pattern on which Emory ond Honry Collogo will base its course of action if it is to meet tho educational, reliqious and sociol issues facing our country today. 158