Lipscomb University - Backlog Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

Page 13 text:

President Pullias Completes Twenty-Five Years of Service His dedication to the cause of Christian educa- tion and his personal versatility have brought Athens Clay Pullias distinction in several fields. The pattern of his career is one of successes early in life and the realization of many of his dreams. He did his junior college work at Lipscomb and received both his B.A. and LL.B. degrees at Cum- berland University. At the age of twenty, he passed the State Bar examination and was admitted to the American Bar Association by a special act of the Chancery Court, necessary because he did not meet the minimum age requirement. In 1934 he abandoned his plans to do graduate work at the University of Chicago and became a member of the faculty at Lipscomb. March 13, 1934 marked the official beginning of his twenty- five years of service to Lipscomb. During the de- pression years, Pullias taught geography and so- ciology without salary for some time. Later he was a professor of Bible, served as head of the Bible department, as executive assistant, and as vice- president of the college. He was named director of the college’s expansion program at its inception in 1944, and under his leadership more than five million dollars has been raised for Lipscomb. In 1946, the same year in which Lipscomb at- tained its status as a senior college, Pullias became the eleventh president of David Lipscomb College. At the age of thirty-five, he was one of the young- est college presidents in the United States. He is also a nationally known minister, having preached since he was sixteen years old. He is now kept busy with speaking appointments throughout the country and is on the editorial staffs of several religious publications. His twenty-five years of service have meant growth and progress for Lipscomb. He is always generous in sharing credit for these outstanding accomplishments with those associated with him in the work, and with his wife, the former Miss Mary Frances Newby of Lebanon. Mrs. Pullias is the inspiration for much of his planning, as well as a source of help in achieving his goals. This is the past and present of the Pullias story. The immediate future holds the promise of the fulfillment of another of his lifelong ambitions— to see Greece, the home of his ancestors. In ap- preciation for what he has meant to the school, his friends are making it possible for Pullias, Mrs. Pullias and their son, Clay, Jr., to go on an ex- tended summer tour of Europe, the Middle East, and the Holy Land. Mr. and Mrs. Athens Clay Pullias and Clay, Jr. President Pullias addresses the Student Association on the occasion of his twenty- fifth year at David Lipscomb College. Page 9