Haley Sheriff – The Hilltop Monitor

Past presidents of William Jewell College

Haley Sheriff — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 02:18:48 +0000

This article is the first of a multipart series on William Jewell College’s presidents- past, present and future.

In its 166 years, William Jewell College has been led by 19 men, making Dr. Walls the first woman president of the College. Given their varying statuses—14 were inaugurated presidents, with the remaining five consisting of two faculty chairmen and three interim presidents—there is some disagreement about the order of ascension. The following list, which provides a brief profile of each of the 13 presidents preceding Dr. David Sallee, is the order recognized by the College’s administration. All information was complied from the Curry Library Archives.

Rev. E.S. Dulin (1850-52)

Hometown: Fairfax, Va.

Education: Richmond College, University of Virginia

Previous Occupation(s): professor of ancient languages, Hollins Institute, ordained minister, pastor of Baptist Church in Lexington, Mo.

Dulin, at only 29 years old, is the youngest president. He taught intellectual philosophy and English literature for the College while simultaneously presiding over it. He is also responsible for organizing the College’s Ministerial Education Society.

Dr. Robert S. Thomas (1853-55)

Hometown: Scott County, Ky.

Education: Transylvania University, Yale University

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor in Boone and Callaway counties; clerk, Missouri Baptist Association; principal, Bonne Femme Academy in Boonetown; professor of English literature, University of Missouri.

Thomas, like Dulin, was a professor during his presidency. He taught moral philosophy at the College. He also served as a Charter Member of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. William Thompson (1857-61)

Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland

Education: University of Edinburgh

Previous Occupation(s): lawyer; ordained minister, pastor in Illinois, Fayette and Boone County, Mo.; president, Mount Pleasant College

Thompson is the first of the College’s three foreign-born presidents. Although his administration closed the College due to the Civil War, with Jewell Hall transformed into a hospital for Union soldiers, he and the faculty continued hosting a few classes until 1863.

Dr. Thomas Rambaut (1868-73)

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Education: French Huguenot School in Ireland, Trinity College in Dublin

Previous Occupation(s): tutor; ordained minister, pastor in Georgia and South Carolina; president, Cherokee Baptist College; professor, Georgia Military Institute

Rambaut is the second foreign-born president. He was renowned for his French Huguenot ancestry and his relation to Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife, Josephine. He transitioned the College’s reopening after the Civil War.

Dr. John Priest Greene (1892-1920; 1921-23)

Hometown: Scotland County, Mo.

Education: B.A. LaGrange College; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor in Louisville, Ky. and St. Louis, Mo.; president, American Baptist Education Society; founder, Missouri College Union in Sedalia.

Greene, who led the College for 30 years, has the longest term of any president and is the only one to serve two separate terms. Concurrently, he was a professor of ethics and theology. His administration was the first to admit women to the College, beginning in 1917-18. The former Greene Hall as well as the Greene Athletic Stadium were named in his honor.

Dr. David Jones Evans (1920-21)

Hometown: Carmarthen Shire, South Wales

Education: William Jewell College, Southern Baptist Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor in St. Louis, Kentucky and Kansas City.

Evans is the first of three alumni and third foreigner to be president. He has the shortest term of the presidents, only serving for one year, given his preference for ministry. He both succeeded and preceded Greene.

Dr. Harry Clifford Wayman (1923-28)

Hometown: Kenton County, Ky.

Education: Georgetown College in Kentucky, Southern Baptist Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): principal, Covington High School; ordained minister, pastor in Kentucky; professor, Southern Baptist Seminary.

Wayman, although receiving Greene’s approval for leadership, has a presidency overshadowed by two major controversies. He was not only accused of falsifying his educational credentials but also his decision with the Board of Trustees not to renew the contracts of three of the College’s tenured professors was widely unpopular among the student body. In response, the senior class of that year boycotted baccalaureate and requested that their diplomas be distributed by one of the dismissed faculty instead of Wayman.

Dr. John Francis Herget (1928-42)

Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.

Education: William Jewell College; Rochester Theological Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor in St. Louis, Ohio and New York; superintendent of Missions, St. Louis Baptist Association; chaplain, World War I.

Herget is the second alumnus to be president. He transitioned the College through the financial depression of the 1930s. Along with building Brown Hall, formerly a gymnasium, he created a separate physical education program for female students and hired the first dean of women. He donated his personal library collection to the College, which is still open for public viewing in the archives.

Dr. Walter Pope Binns (1943-62)

Hometown: Washington, Ga.

Education: Mercer University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Occidental College in Los Angeles

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor in Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia; U.S. Army chaplain, World War I; president, Georgia Baptist Young People’s Union; trustee, Mercer University; president, Virginia Baptist Association

Binns led the College during the majority of World War II. He oversaw the construction of Semple Hall, Jones Hall, the Yates-Gill Student Union and the Greene Athletic Stadium. The Binns Lectures on religion and culture are named in his honor.

Dr. H. Guy Moore (1962-68)

Hometown: DuQuoin, Il.

Education: William Jewell College, Southern Baptist Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor at Fort Worth, Tex., St. Louis and Kansas City

Moore is the third alumnus to serve as president. During his tenure the Charles F. Curry Library, along with Browning Hall, were built.

Dr. Thomas S. Field (1970-80)

Hometown: Chicago, Il.

Education: Wheaton College; Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): ordained minister, pastor in New York, Louisiana, Georgia, New Jersey and Missouri.

Field was responsible for the construction and dedication of the Pillsbury Music Center and the Mabee Center as well as the enhancement and naming of the College’s former radio station, KWPB.

Dr. James Gordon Kingsley (1980-94)

Hometown: Houston, Tx.

Education: Mississippi College; University of Missouri; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Previous Occupation(s): assistant professor of English, Mississippi College; instructor in English, Tulane University; assistant professor of English, William Jewell College; assistant to the president, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; professor of Literature and Religion and coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies, Kentucky Southern College.

Kingsley, a few years prior to his presidency, served as the Associate Dean and as the Dean of the College. He introduced the Oxbridge Honors Program and oversaw the construction of White Science Center. The College was listed as one of the U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” for 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Dr. W. Christian Sizemore (1994-2000)

Hometown: South Boston, Va.

Education: University of Richmond; Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; University of North Carolina; Florida State University

Previous Occupation(s): librarian and associate professor, South Georgia College; teaching assistant, Florida State University School of Library and Information Science; academic dean, Dean of the College, professor, and acting president for South Georgia College; president, Alderson-Broaddus College.

Sizemore, at 56, is the oldest president and the first to be elected to the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. During his tenure, he was particularly committed to the enhancement of information-sharing technologies and Internet accessibility and was responsible for installing a $2.5 million campus-wide computer network.

Feature photo by Kyle Rivas.

Jewell theater department welcomes new artist in residence

Haley Sheriff — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 03:40:05 +0000

Dr. Chris McCoy, assistant professor of theatre and stage director, is a fresh yet familiar face to the campus of William Jewell College (WJC).

McCoy started his undergraduate career at Jewell in 1993, but he transferred to the University of Kansas in 1995 to complete a degree in secondary English and theatre education. Following graduation in 1998, McCoy pursued a series of jobs and internships across the country, which included the Seattle Children’s Theatre, Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and the Denver Theatre Company. Once he had received a fellowship from Opera America in Washington, D.C., he worked in Austin, Tx., San Diego and St. Louis. McCoy credits these experiences for affirming his goal of becoming an educator.

“I knew that everything I was learning while working in professional theatre was feeding me for my future plans to teach,” McCoy said.

After completing a master’s degree in theatre education at Emerson College, McCoy pursued his Ph.D. in performance studies at the University of California-Davis. His dissertation focused on musical theatre and contemporary musical theatre as satire. As a trained dancer and choreographer—having studied jazz, tap, modern and classical ballet—McCoy often incorporates choreographic movement into his theatrical productions.

“Dance and theatre are just so tightly integrated—they feed off of each other. The theatre is all about the voice and the body, and what I enjoy creating onstage or working with student actors is to look at movement in interesting ways, and how we use our voice to best convey character and emotion. To me, dance is just inherently part of my theatre practice, even when I’m doing a play,” McCoy said. “As you’ll see during this performance, I enjoy choreographic movements with lots of people moving together onstage. That’s how I capture naturalism; I don’t have many people standing still because it is so rare that we ever stand still and talk—we’re always doing something.”

The College’s liberal arts curriculum and small population were attractive to McCoy.

“What I have appreciated most about Jewell is that it is small enough where the students have a real connection with their professors; that doesn’t happen in so many other schools,” McCoy said. “Having a small theatre where I knew that I could direct as well as teach also appealed to me. A small theatre department where I can choose what shows we’re doing and help mold the curriculum of what the students are getting to learn is really exciting.”

Next semester, McCoy will teach three courses: “Movement and Voice,” a basic acting class; “Performance Studies,” a 200-level Critical Thought and Inquiry class that examines simple, everyday performances and their reflection of culture; and “Activism,” a theatre course that analyzes how social movements and protests use performance to spread their messages.

“I really want to attract more non-theatre students to take our classes. Performing skills are something you’re going to use no matter what career you go into, as they are all about how you present yourself and how you communicate. Every time we go in for a job interview, we are, in essence, performing,” McCoy said. “Understanding performance at a basic level through theatre is a great way to approach our 21st century society.”

McCoy has further transitioned this ongoing relevance of drama into the Jewell Theatre Company’s upcoming production, “Metamorphoses” by Mary Zimmerman. Inspired by the works of the ancient Roman poet Ovid, it is composed of a series of vignettes, each a different myth. The featured tales include those of Midas, Alcyone and Ceyx, Erysichthon, Orpheus and Eurydice, Pomona and Vertumnus, Phaeton, Narcissus, Eros and Psyche, and Baucus and Philemon. Despite the classical roots of the play, each vignette is updated with contemporary elements.

“My idea was to go post-modern or meta-theatrical and treat each play with an entirely different style. Where sometimes it’s a very classic, tragic, Greek tale, there’s Pomona and Vertumnus, for example, that features a vaudeville-burlesque type of performance,” McCoy said. “The whole theme of the show is that these are universal stories and stories that, because of Ovid, have been picked up by artists throughout history. We want people to realize that they’ve heard these stories before, in some form or another, by exploring different styles and eras.”

Along with wanting to expose students to classical Greek theatre, McCoy chose this performance because of its ensemble cast that allows actors to play more than one role. This gives the cast more flexibility and opportunities for various speaking parts, both major and minor. There are currently 20 cast members, each playing an average of three characters.

Research has been the primary means of preparation for students. Dr. Jane Woodruff, professor of Classical languages and history, was invited to the first rehearsal to brief the cast on each myth, and plastered throughout the auditorium, costume design room and theatre lounge are images depicting either the style of dress or artwork from or inspired by the Classical era. During the week before auditions, McCoy also implemented a workshop to give students a sense of the best approach to each character.

In addition to a live percussionist, the cast has been working to incorporate the untraditional element of the pool into the production. As the pool is central to each vignette, the symbolism of the water—from change, to destruction, to growth, to love—varies between each story. One commonality, however, has been the technical challenges that the water causes for costuming, scenery and safety. As costumes can only be reused after they are thoroughly dry, there are nearly twice as many costumes for this production as usual. Having actors walking backstage to change into dry clothes also creates the hazard of a slippery floor.

“We have to be constantly aware of who is backstage trying to get dry and what’s happening on onstage. We also need to know what kind of scenery elements need to be tempered for water. It’s a lot of tracking; you have to be aware of every little thing that’s onstage,” Zoe Spangler, sophomore theatre major and stage manager, said.

Spangler oversees the upkeep of the stage and conducts cues for the play’s numerous special effects, especially lighting. In general, she maintains the homeostasis of the stage. Although most of her work happens behind the curtain, in her preferred environment, she does participate with the actors in rehearsals.

“My job is to keep rehearsal going and make it as productive as possible. I do a bit of reading or walking through someone’s blocking if they are missing, ill or just unable to do so. Frequently, when people have other commitments like study groups, clubs or sports, I am there to provide lines,” Spangler said. “That’s as much as I do with regard to acting; you will very rarely see a stagehand on stage.”

Rehearsals have familiarized the cast and crew with both the play and each other; the onstage chemistry between the actors has been a particular source of bonding. This same chemistry, Spangler notes, is what makes the entire production. The myth of King Midas, the first play to be performed, is her favorite.

“The chemistry between Bruce Rash (Midas) and Luke Adams (Silenus) is great. They play off each other’s energy, and it looks like they’re having a good time onstage, which is ultimately what you want in a scene. They do it so perfectly,” Spangler said. “I’ve read through this play every single night and this scene never gets old; I’m always smiling into my book, because they’ve done it again. It’s definitely something to behold with your own eyes.”

“Metamorphoses” will be playing Nov. 19 and 20 at 7 P.M. and Nov. 21 at 2 P.M. and 7 P.M. To order tickets, contact the theatre box office at 816-415-7590 or theatre@william.jewell.edu. Prices for Jewell students and seniors are $5 each, and tickets are $10 for general admission. To keep up with the progress of the Jewell Theatre Company, visit their Facebook page.

Who Was William Jewell?

Haley Sheriff — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 03:18:26 +0000

Our red-feathered mascot, rather than William Jewell College’s namesake, has become the popular image of William Jewell. When thinking about the man who founded the campus in 1849, most students draw a blank. Who is he? For some, he is another vague portrait of an unmemorable face; for most, he is faceless. The man, despite his obvious influence, is a mystery. Although Dr. William Jewell’s legacy is sealed between the bricks of Jewell Hall, he is otherwise as forgotten as his obscure grave in Columbia, Mo. The epitaph on his headstone, “His work is over, he did it well and faithfully,” is barely a hint of his contributions to higher education and the civic and religious communities in Missouri.

Jewell came to Boone County, Mo. in 1821 after studying medicine at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. Being one of only two doctors in Columbia at the time, he was one of the first physicians to succeed in making money from his practice. However, he also accepted farm produce, labor and livestock as payment. In some circumstances, he pursued legal action against those who did not pay him, but for the most part he enjoyed working pro-bono for clients who did not have anything to give in exchange for his services.

Painting of William Jewell by George Caleb Bingham

Jewell took his occupation so seriously that he was critical of others in the same field. During his membership at the Little Bonne Femme Church in 1823, he quarreled with two fellow members, slandering one of them as “a so-called physician, but in reality only a quack” throughout the congregation. Upon pressure from the church administration Jewell apologized, but immediately afterwards he circulated pamphlets that attacked one of the men. Jewell was given permission to form a new church, which would become the First Baptist Church of Columbia.“The night was never too dark nor the day too stormy for Dr. Jewell to travel miles from home to wait on patients who could not and did not pay him a penny: he seemed to enjoy charity practice, and he did so much of it that his friends realized and he realized that it was injuring his health and shortening his life,” said Dr. William Duncan, a colleague of Jewell’s, according to Judge North Todd Gentry’s 1932 address.

“This was the first church of any denomination in Columbia,” said Gentry.

It was this fiery dedication to furthering Missouri Baptists that would instigate the construction of the College in Liberty 26 years later.

Jewell’s experiences in the Kentucky and Missouri state legislatures during the 1820s, including his tenure as the mayor of Columbia, demonstrated his adequate leadership. All the while, he maintained his medical practice which influenced his positions on certain state laws. He helped repeal a Missouri statue condoning the whipping post as a criminal punishment and created one of the earliest regulations on doctor-patient confidentiality, a law that, though revised over the years, remains in practice today.

His previous government service contributed to the peak of his civil leadership during the 1840s. While serving as the president of the Columbia Temperance Society, Jewell was simultaneously appointed as the superintendent for the construction of Columbia’s new courthouse and was elected president of the African Colonization Society in 1845. The latter was an anti-slavery organization dedicated to resettling slaves in Africa. However, although Jewell was considered an abolitionist, he initially owned slaves. In 1846, he emancipated four slaves, and two more were granted freedom in his will. Sticking with minority advocacy, Jewell was also invested in the education of women. In fact, he was one of the first three trustees for the Columbia Female Academy, a school solely devoted to women’s education.

His varied interests and accomplishments led up to his final and most famous achievement. William Jewell College. In 1843, Jewell offered to donate $10,000 worth of land towards establishing the first all-men’s Baptist institution west of the Mississippi River if the Missouri Baptist Association would contribute an additional $16,000. The General Association was not able to meet his price until four years later. Competition for Jewell’s bid was fierce; Liberty, along with Booneville, Fulton, Palmyria and Columbia, were the top considerations. Jewell personally favored Columbia, wanting the school to be at the center of the state, but he was convinced by General Alexander Doniphan’s proposal for Liberty. The prestige of Doniphan’s reputation as a war hero, along with his promise of $7,000 ultimately persuaded the Baptists in their decision. In gratitude, Liberty named the College after its sponsor.

Jewell was meticulous and obsessive with each of his endeavors, and the College was no exception.

“When the foundation was dug, [he] looked into the hole and said, ‘Keep digging until you find bedrock, this building will stand on solid footing.’ As the brick walls were being erected one wall did not meet Jewell’s specifications. ‘Tear it down and build it right,’ came [his] order,” said Mark Buhlig, in Jewell’s pamphlet from the Missouri Baptist Heritage Series.

This constant drive for perfection, along with the summer heat, was a stressful combination for Jewell’s health. He suffered a heat stroke while overseeing Jewell Hall’s construction and died a couple of days later at a nearby hotel Aug. 7, 1852. His body was transported by steamboat back to Boone County for his funeral, and he was interred at the Jewell family’s cemetery in Columbia. Liberty and Columbia both hosted well-attended memorial services and closed all businesses and public offices during the time of his burial.

While the memory of Dr. William Jewell has waned with the passing years, his presence remains in the form buildings and legislation, proving his continued relevance. It is to this highly-driven man, the real Billy Jewell, that we credit our founding.

All of the information on Dr. William Jewell was found in the Charles F. Curry Library’s archives, particularly in the William E. Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies. Additional resources pertaining to Dr. Jewell, besides those cited in this article, can also be found in this department. For inquiries or appointments on any history of William Jewell College, contact Rebecca Hamlett at hamlettr@william.jewell.edu.

Alumni Employment: Male Demographics

Haley Sheriff — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 22:28:11 +0000