High-resolution, full color images available online
Search, browse, read, and print yearbook pages
View college, high school, and military yearbooks
Browse our digital annual library spanning centuries
Support the schools in our program by subscribing
Privacy, as we do not track users or sell information
Page 9 text:
“
Able Leaders IWWI In the seven and a half decades of William Carey Col- i . ' . i.iJUege and its predecessors. South Mississippi College §2 (1960-1910) and Mississippi Woman ' s College (1911- 1953), six men have guided this institution with the same degree of love and affection that a father would show for his child. Their times of service range from the brief one year stint of W.W. Rivers during the transition from South Mississippi Col- lege to Mississippi Woman ' s College to the quarter of a century of J. Ralph Noonkester, whose tenure encompasses all hut three years of the college under its present name. Happily the backgrounds and talents of the six presidents have augured well for their administrations. The first three were his- torians, the fourth a businessman, and the last two theologians. Hence, they combined those three attributes that are the sine qua non of successful leadership in Christian education: an his- torical perspective, an eye for the economic scene, and an under- standing of Divine Purpose. The President of South Mississippi College was W.I. Thames (1906-1910), legendary South Mississippi educator whose name is memorialized through a local junior high school, and who later served as Superintendent of the Hattiesburg Public Schools for seventeen years. Diminutive in stature, Thames gained a wide reputation for himself and the college for innovative curri- cula, especially in home economics. When South Mississippi College closed, Thames served two years as principal of Pi- cayune High before returning to Hattiesburg to join the history faculty at Mississippi Normal College (present-day Southern). Fortune smiled on the college in the choice of its second and third presidents, W.W. Rivers (1911-1912) and J.L. Johnson (1912-1932). Coming with experience as President of Central College in Conway. Arkansas, Rivers shepherded the school into its Woman ' s College era, while Johnson brought with him a rep- utation as a scholar of history. In fact, his respect in the histori- cal profession nearly cost the college its pre sident. In 1918, for example, the Chancellor of Ole Miss tried to lure President Johnson to the upstate school by offering him a chair in history that paid for that date the flattering salary of $2300 a year. Thankfully, Johnson declined the handsome offer because, in his words, my work at the Woman ' s College is not yet finished and ... I have not the right to consult my own personal prefer- ence in such a matter. During the dark days of the Depression the college found an- other leader of self-denial in W.E. Holcomb. appropriately a businessman in those years so lean for business (1932-1940). Holcomb brought denominational expertise as well as economic awareness to his eight years as president and helped the college walk a financial tight-rope for two college generations before the bleak situation of 1940 forced it to close. The last two presidents. I.E. Rouse (1946-1956) and J. Ralph Noonkester ( 1956-present), brought theological backgrounds to the service of the college. Considering the uphill struggle of the college after the war, men of faith were certainly needed. As former pastor of Fifth Avenue Baptist Church (now Temple Baptist). Rouse instilled a discipline in the resuscitated Woman ' s College that would make even a Puritan proud, while Noonkes- ter, as America ' s youngest college president, breathed an enthu- siasm into the spirit of the college that helps explain its pheonix- like recovery. In all. these six able presidents have demonstrated unusual faith and courage: to found, in the first place, the oldest surviving col- lege in south Mississippi: to continue it after two closings; to be- come the first all-white college to voluntarily admit blacks; to move into the center of New Orleans with an ambitious nursing program; to buy an entire campus on the beaches of the Gul f Coast; and always to live the motto of William Carey himself, Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God. When the high court of history sits in judgment of these six men there can be only one verdict— well done, thou good and faith- ful servants.
Are you trying to find old school friends, old classmates, fellow servicemen or shipmates? Do you want to see past girlfriends or boyfriends? Relive homecoming, prom, graduation, and other moments on campus captured in yearbook pictures. Revisit your fraternity or sorority and see familiar places. See members of old school clubs and relive old times. Start your search today!
Looking for old family members and relatives? Do you want to find pictures of parents or grandparents when they were in school? Want to find out what hairstyle was popular in the 1920s? E-Yearbook.com has a wealth of genealogy information spanning over a century for many schools with full text search. Use our online Genealogy Resource to uncover history quickly!
Are you planning a reunion and need assistance? E-Yearbook.com can help you with scanning and providing access to yearbook images for promotional materials and activities. We can provide you with an electronic version of your yearbook that can assist you with reunion planning. E-Yearbook.com will also publish the yearbook images online for people to share and enjoy.
