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PRESIDENTS OF CENTENARY COLL
ECE C
F LOUISIANA
COLLEGE OF LOUIS
IANA
JACKSON, LOUISIANA
1825 - 1845
1.
REV. JEREMIAH CHAMBERLAIN
1826-
182B
2.
LT. H. H. GIRD
1829
1834
3.
REV. JAMES SHANNON
1834
1840
4.
REV WILLIAM D. LACEY
1840
1843
li CE
NTENARY COLLEGE, CLINTON.
MISSI
SSIPPI -
1841
1
BRANDON SPRINGS, MISSISSIP
PI 1841 - 1845
1
T. C. THORNTON
1841-
1844
II 6-
WILLIAM WINANS (PRO-TEM)
1844
•1845
CENTENARY COLLEGE OF
LOUI
SIANA
JACKSON, LOUISIANA
1846 - 1907
7.
JUDGE D. 0. SHATTUCK
1846
1848
8.
JUDGE A. B. LONGSTREET
1848
1849
9.
REV. H. H. RIVERS
1849
■1854
10.
DR. HENRY C. THWEATT
1854
11.
DR. JOHN C. MILLER
1855
1865
12
W H. WATKINS .
1866
1870
13.
DR. CHARLES G.ANDREWS
1870
1882
14.
DR. D. M. RUSH
1883
1885
15.
DR. T. A. S. ADAMS
1885
1887
16.
DR. GEORGE H. WILEY (PRO-TEl*
)
1887
- 1888
17.
REV. W L. C. HUNNICUTT
1888
1894
18.
DR. C. W. CARTER
1894
1898
19-
DR. I. W COOPER
1898
1902
20
DR. HENRY BEACH CARRE
1902
1903
21.
REV. C. C. MILLER
1903
1906
CENTENARY COLLEGE OF
LOUI
SIANA
SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA
1
f
1908
22
. WILLIAM LANDER WEBER
1908
1910
23
. DR. FELpt R. HILL
1910
• 1913
24
. DR. ROBERT H. WYNN
1913
1918
25
. R. W. BOURNE
1919
1920
26
. DR. R. E. SMITH (PRO-TEM)
1920
1921
27
DR. GEORGE S. SEXTON
1921
1932
28
DR. W. ANGIE SMITH (PRO-TEM
)
1932
1933
29
DR. PIERCE CLINE
1933-
1943
30
. DR. JOE J. MICKLE
1945-
1964
31
DR. JACK S. WILKES
1964-
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To begin its celebration of the sesquicentennial of the College, the Centenary Alumni Association
presents for its thousands of members and friends this pictorial survey of its history. Though few
now living can recall the Jackson years, most Centenary people still are strangely drawn to this
source where the life and spirit of the College were born. It is with this era, the Age of Andrew
Jackson as well as the town of Jackson, that we begin.
This rendition of Cen-
tenary College of Loui-
siana was published in
New York to eommeno-
rate the undertaking of
the great Center Build-
ing in 1856. The West
Wing, at left, still
stands.
The
College
Centenary College of Louisiana is the direct descendant of
two institutions of higher learning, one public and one private.
The Slate of Louisiana issued a charter establishing the Col-
lege of Louisiana in Jackson as a state institution in 1825, and.
with modifications, this charter remains in effect. In 1839, in
celebration of the centennial of Methodism, the Conference of
Mississippi and Louisiana founded a college named Centenary
at Clinton, Mississippi. It was moved to Brandon Springs, Mis-
sissippi, in 1840, and graduated its first class in 1844. Both
colleges were located in isolated rural areas in accordance with
educational policy of the period, and as a result had to struggle
for funds and for students. The trustees of the state college,
faced with the closing of the institution for want of support, in
1845 agreed to transfer its charter to the Methodist Confer-
ence, provided only that "Christian instruction and
discipline" be always offered on a non-sectarian basis. The
merged institutions, under the name "Centenary College of
Louisiana," occupied the campus at Jackson until 1906.
Centenary flourished until the Civil War, with an excellent
physical plant, a fine faculty, and a large student body. Its
annual commencement brought crowds of thousands to the
small town to enjoy several days of academic festivities, and
taxed the capacity of its auditorium, the largest in the state.
Closed during the Civil War, the College failed to recover fully
from the economic distress of the Reconstruction period, the
bypassing of Jackson by the post-war railroad builders, and the
competition of new, better-located, state-supported colleges.
Toward the end of the century, the richer Mississippi Method-
ist Conferences withdrew support from Centenary to found
their own institution in Jackson, Mississippi. Now forced to
seek ways to attract sufficient students and financial support
from Louisiana alone, Centenary admitted women to its
classes, and turned more and more toward emphasizing the
religious aspects of its program and its relationship to the
Methodist Church. But the student body continued to dwindle,
and the magnificent physical plant deteriorated despite the
heroic efforts of dedicated supporters.
In 1906, a group of public spirited citizens of Shreveport
determined to establish a college in the booming North Louisi-
ana city. The Methodists there, convinced that Centenary must
move from Jackson or die, persuaded these civic leaders to bid
to become the new home for the old college. The city agreed,
and the Methodist Conference, fully aware of the necessity for
the move, gratefully accepted a gift of a campus site and sub-
stantial financial support for the relocation. Centenary aban-
doned the ghostly halls in Jackson for the more vigorous
atmosphere of Shreveport in 1908.
Even this transplantation failed to restore the College to full
health. Plagued by limited financial resources and a weak aca-
demic program, Centenary appeared doomed in 1921 when
Dr. George Sexton assumed the presidency to make a last
ditch fight for its survival. With full civic and church support,
he began to revitalize it, emphasizing a stronger and more
attractive academic program, the creation of an endowment of
respectable size, and a football team which brought nationwide
attention to the College. The football team died, a victim of
World War II, but the modern physical plant, the rich aca-
demic program, and the endowment envisioned by Dr. Sexton
were brought into reality during the presidencies of Pierce
Cline, Joe J. Mickle and Jack S. Wilkes.
The mass of temporary structures constructed to meet the
rapidly rising enrollments of the post war years gave way to
permanent Georgian style brick buildings as the College cre-
ated a virtually new physical plant. The size of the student
body severely taxed even these buildings until 1970 when the
nation's population growth slowed, and the costs of private
education rose, hindering continued expansion.
Now under President John Horton Allen, with a stabilized
student population, Centenary stands ready for the future,
firmly rooted in its historic past, yet with a youthful spirit of
adventure and innovation. As the oldest chartered higher edu-
cational institution west of the Mississippi River, its present
status justifies the faith and sacrifices of the thousands who
have given it 150 years of life.
In 1825 the College of Louisiana established its headquarters in the former Feliciana Courthouse. Only the first floor of the former two-story building has been
preserved.
The first page of
the Minute Book
of the Board of
Trustees of the
College of
Louisiana
indicates some of
the problems
faced by the
Board in getting
the College
underway.
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The West
Wing of the
College is
all that
remains of
old
Centenary
at Jackson.
Dr. William Marbury Carpenter attended the College of Louisiana, was pro-
fessor of natural history there from 1837 to 1843, and later professor of
materia medica at the University of Louisiana.
The College
of Louisiana
n
The first compilation of the College curriculum and student and faculty reg-
ulations in 1839 placed rigid restrictions on entrance and discipline of stu-
dents, which help to explain the small enrollment.
Although the governments of the Territory of Orleans and
the State of Louisiana early in the American period provided
generously for higher education, their efforts by 1825 had
come to little. The College of Orleans, the only remnant of the
ambitiously planned University of Orleans, had failed to
please the new English-speaking settlers pouring into Louisi-
ana. The Legislature determined to create a new college in the
American dominated West Florida area, leaving the College of
Orleans to survive primarily on gambling house license sale
revenues and private donations.
In an Act approved February 18, 1825, the State granted a
charter, created a Board of Trustees, provided financial
resources, and spelled out the curriculum for a new institution
to be located at Jackson and called the College of Louisiana.
The Charter required that the curriculum include "the Eng-
lish, French, Greek and Latin languages, Logic, Rhetoric,
Ancient and Modern History, Mathematics, Natural, Moral
and Political Philosophy." The American slant of the Legisla-
ture's intent can be seen in that of the twenty-eight private citi-
zen trustees appointed in the Act, twenty were of English
descent.
The initial state appropriation of $5,000 plus additional
revenues previously given to public schools in the Felicianas
seems beggarly today, but the founders considered it quite
adequate as an annual operating fund, especially after friends
of the College pledged sums totaling $70,000 to defray open-
ing expenses.
The inaugural session of the Board at Jackson on May 2,
1825, fell heir to the Feliciana Parish Courthouse, no longer
needed for governmental purposes, rented buildings for stu-
dent housing to supplement the courthouse space, and hired a
president and a faculty. The College soon constructed several
frame buildings to replace the unsuitable courthouse quarters,
and later moved to a permanent campus nearby.
Wrangling among the faculty, disputes between Board and
president, a dearth of students, misapplication of funds, and
inconsistent state policies kept the College in turmoil during
the twenty years it operated as a state institution. No more
than 80 students ever enrolled at one time, and most of these
were preparatory students. The rigid academic requirements
for entrance simply could not be met by any sizeable number
of Louisianians, and the College had to prepare its own fresh-
man class.
Discouraged by the apparent failure of the College despite
what it considered generous state appropriations, the Legisla-
ture in Act 74, 1845, authorized the closing of the institution,
the public auction of its properties, and the annulling of its
charter. About the only permanent legacy of the state years
was a beautiful brick building which still stands today.
Lentenar)
College
1839-
1845
The first page of the Minute
Book of the Board of Trustees
of Centenary College, dated
December 5. 1840, shows the
indecision as to the final loca-
tion of the campus.
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The Methodists of the United States in
1839 staged a variety of celebrations of the
one hundredth anniversary of Methodism.
The most permanent result of the round of
ceremonies was the decision of the Missis-
sippi Conference, which then also encom-
passed churches in Louisiana, to create a col-
lege to be called Centenary in honor of the
occasion. Struggles to gather the necessary
funding, disputes over the choice of site, dif-
ficulties in acquiring property, and civic
competition delayed until 1841 the opening
at the final selected place, Brandon Springs,
Mississippi.
The properties utilized by the College had
been developed originally as a resort built
around reputedly healthful mineral springs,
but financially unprofitable because of its iso-
lation from the nearest population center,
Jackson, Mississippi. Like the College of
Louisiana, Centenary concentrated on the
classics, attracted only a few students, suf-
fered from poor planning, and soon fell into
desuetude. Though it graduated its first class
in 1844, its future appeared to be in jeop-
ardy. Collections of pledges for College sup-
port fell alarmingly, and authorities com-
plained that the itinerant Methodist minis-
ters, not yet known for their erudition, failed
to appreciate the importance of the institu-
tion.
The Reverend Benjamin M. Drake of Missis-
sippi served many years on the Board of
Trustees, and as its President, and in 1854
for a short period as President pro lem of the
college.
Judge Edward McGehee signed the promissory
note with which the Methodists purchased the
College of Louisiana, and generously supported
Centenary through its early years.
William Winans, a pioneer Methodist minister
in Mississippi and Louisiana, served as Presi-
dent pro lem of Centenary College in 1844 and
presided over the first meeting of the Board of
Trustees of Centenary College of Louisiana in
1845.
The failure of the College of Louisiana in 1845, together
with the early decrepitude of Centenary College combined
to create a fortunate opportunity to fuse two failures into
one stable institution. Led by Judge Edward McGehee of
Woodville, Mississippi, the Methodists determined to pur-
chase the plant of the College of Louisiana, move Centenary
there, and thus perpetuate their higher educational hopes.
Judge McGehee was the only bidder for the Jackson prop-
erty, and as the agent for the Mississippi Conference signed
a note for $10,000, the minimum price the State would
accept. He advanced in cash the sum of $166.66, the only
payment ever made for the property, as the State never
received payment of the debt.
The union of the two institutions into Centenary College
of Louisiana almost immediately proved efficacious, both in
enrollment and quality. As the largest college in the two-
state area, Centenary prided itself in rivaling even Har-
vard's enrollment as nearly 300 students appeared for some
sessions, although a large proportion of these were prepara-
tory students. The College added a new dormitory wing,
identical to the original constructed in 1833, and in 1856
opened a huge "Center Building," which included a variety
of classrooms, laboratories, a library, and debating society
headquarters as well as a 3,000 capacity auditorium.
The only major curriculum change made by the College
allowed "in peculiar cases" the substitution of two modern
languages for the requirement of proficiency in Latin and
Greek. To emphasize the view of the Board and the faculty
that such a program was less demanding than the Arts cur-
riculum, they called the new arrangement the "Scientific
Course," and worded the diploma awarded for completing
it in English rather than Latin. Less than ten percent of the
graduates pursued the Scientific Course.
Centenary College
of Louisiana
1845-1861
The rornerstone of the Center Building, constructed in
1856, noted on one face the Methodist relationship, and on
another the State funding in 1825. Brought to the Shreve-
port campus when the Jackson building was demolished in
the 1930's, its present location is unknown.
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The massive Center Building, flanked by two identical dormitory wings, was designed by the
architect G. W. A. Simpson. The acoustics in the large auditorium left much to be desired
until the interior dome was sealed off about 1880.
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In exchange for the agreement of the State to forego pay-
ment for the campus, the College agreed to accept annually
ten State-nominated scholars without charge for tuition.
The quota was seldom filled.
While only a single photograph from Centenary before
186] i- available in the College \rchives, the written records
of it- activities abound in the Minute Books of the Hoard of
Trustees and the faculty and area newspapers.
The facult) met weekly, and devoted the major portion of
its meeting time to disciplinary problems. Most of die students
were sons of planters and professional men. and had been
accustomed to an easy, way of life, with hunting, horse racing,
dancing, and traveling shows to ease the rigor of preparatory
Studies, and with servants to attend their physical needs. The
transition to the rigidl) regulated life of die College, where the
amenities were prohibited, and the academic day, was sched-
uled from dawn through nine p.m. proved so exasperating to
main of the young gentlemen that they engaged in repeated
episodes of hi-jinks, ill-temper, fisticuffs, and rule-"breaking.
The catalog for the 1857-58 session gives the College policy
toward student discipline;
The government is mild and parental, but consistent and firm: if
a student is found to lie incorrigibly nanus or idle, he is at once
dismissal. The punishments consist of demerit marks, private
reproof public reproof, and suspension. The rewards consist of merit
marks, and public honors on llw day of Commencement. So that by
every incentive — by appeals to all the nobler rmnciples of . . .
nature — by affeclionat^utreaty and friend l{Bkinse I — by the
hSpe of distinction and thSfear of disgrace — the Faculty endeavor
to maintain order and the purest morality.
Portions of the Faculty Minutes recounting discipHnai
sodes indicate the type of problem dealt with in faculty meet-
ings.
P. Kear) having remained in the College, notwithstanding the
direction given him b) the faculty to depart, and having committed
an assault upon the President by presenting a pistol at him. and oth-
erwise misbehaved, the Faculty agreed that the Steward and the
Janitor should be asked to cooperate with the Faculty by refusing
Mr. Keary accommodation in the College. (1833)
Mr. John Keller was reported for gelling drunk, and molesting
the citizens of Jackson, and especially for use of the most improper
and indecent language such as is too obscene to be written on this
Record. . (I till.)
Joseph Johnson. John Line, and Calvin Roberts were indefinitely
suspended for being out at night at an improper hour and throii ing
brickbats at members of the faculty. (1854)
With the records replete with such incidents, one might
wonder what became of the graduates. Of the 209 graduated
through 1861, seventy became lawyers, twenty-seven doctors,
thirty-three planters, seven teachers, and thirteen ministers.
The destinies of the other graduates cannot be found in the
official records of the College^
The small number of ministers provided to the Church by
the College in ante helium days indicates the rigid adherence
of the Methodist Church to its agreement with the state that no
sectarian dogmas should be taught, nor efforts at proselytism
Olltlif
CHAPEL,
COLLEGE BRASS BAND,
Pniici- direction of Profs: Knou. A I
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J 4. Love Not: Quickstep.
5. Grand Solo. :::::.:: by Knou. A houues.
l>. .la'-kson I,n(|r's Waltz. : : : : by IIkkesiiikei.
7. Oiiiml Silo for Kioto & Guitar, by IS. Mosps.t lino.
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Jordan, t ::::::: -j ;:: by
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11. Quickstep, :::::::::: do. do.
12. Grand Silo for Clai-iunotte, l.v Knou..
13. Baton Rouge Polka, : : : : by BkBHTRiRT.
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16. Grand Solo for Pluto £ Guitar by MosEtta Boo.
III. Quiokxtcp, :::::::::: by IIk.hk.-thkkt.
17. Matilda Walt*, ::::::: ,1.'.. do.
18. Sitohfl I'olka, :::::::: liv
111. Hail Columbia and Vankc-r- Doodle
10 OOSCLUDH WITH PIRE-WOl
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Graduation Ceremonies
Although the town of Jackson was small,
each year at commencement it accommo-
ted thousands of visitors who gathered to
mp out on the College grounds and attend
e several days of festivities. It was not unu-
sual for the governors of both Louisiana and
Mississippi, together with supreme court
members of both states to be in attendance,
for the ceremonies were the cultural peak of
the year for the two states. For five days the
air would resound with oration, declamation,
sermon, and song as each of the graduates
was exhibited in performance, and many of
the visitors made formal addresses of an hour
or so. As many as fifty formal addresses
would be given during the week, some of
them in Latin, to which the throng listened
attentively lest their inattention mark them as
ignorant. Professor J. C. Miller holds the
record for length of speech, a six-hour Bacca-
laureate in 1854, with the Rev. C. K. Mar-
shall holding another record, nine formal
speeches at one ceremony, the Commence-
ment of 1856, which was also the occasion
for laying the cornerstone of the Center
Building.
A usual feature of the ceremonies was the
granting of honorary degrees. The College
made no prior announcement of such awards
to audience or recipient, and the usual reac-
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Daily classes in both Greek and Latin bur-
dened the Centenary students in 1859, and
they sought relief. The Faculty refused their
request for a schedule change.
An Experiment in Student
Government
Shortly after the merger in Jackson, in a hurst of optimism and
faith in human nature, the Board of Trustees voted to institute a new
system for drafting "laws for the government of the students." Admit-
tedly "startling" in its innovative ideas, the plan created the Board as
the "Senatorial Branch of the Legislature," a twenty-one member stu-
dent-elected "Representative Branch," while the faculty served as ihm
"Executive." A veto by the faculty coui'd.'be overridden by a simple
majority of both houses.
- Put into effect in 1846, the plan soon tested the sanguinity of the
Board. The first bill adopted by the students would have eliminated
the requirement of the calculus for all students. The Board tabled the
bill. Later, despite faculty protest, the Student-Board Legislature
required faculty attendance at all College functions including the
compulsory early morning and late evening prayers, chapel and
church services and student debates. The act required the President
to report to the Board the name of any faculty member who neglected
this duty. The Board, however, failed to approve a student resolution
to abolish morning and evening prayers on Saturday and Sunday. The
College abandoned this system of government after it had so frus-
trated two Presidents that they resigned their positions as untenable.
tion of the new degree-holder was either
llpolessed silence or an attack of garrul-
ipilji Charles Gayarre, honored in 1852
| with a Master of Arts degree, responded
OH-th a one hour impromptu address of
^appreciation. All graduates of the Col-
■R were eligible for a Master's degree
'nffiree years after achieving Bachelor of
ftirts, if the graduate had performed
„:; well in his chosen career and applied
£ for the additional recognition.
One newspaper editor in 1852 found
Baipecial enjoyment in the music for the
occasion:
The solemn charm of the occasion was
•lot even broken by the. "'music. '" Usually al
Commencements the first note of the scrap-
ing bow quite dissipates the moral and the
intellectual. Four or five red faces and
greasy fiddles . . . have, lime out of mind,
diluted the sauce of these literary
feasts. On this occasion the exercises were
relieved alternately by a choir of ladies
ind students, an orchestra, and a brass
band, both composed exclusively of College
students, under the conduct of Mr. A. E.
3lackmar. The orchestra consisted of nine
violins, four flutes, and a clarinet; the
brass band of twelve horns, a piccolo and
. . The music was of admirable,
ime and expression, though the students
we been practicing only since February
St.
ipparently, the wonder of the occa-
was not that the students played
but that they could play at all.
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This program for the Commencement exercise
son. The College Band, orchestra and chorus
parade of addresses. They were wildly applaude
1856. is typical of the ceremonies at Jack-
occasional numbers to break the lengthy
***!$
Secret Societies
The Franklin Institute debaters of 1882. Standing, C. C. Miller (later Presi-
dent of Centenary), and Charles McDonald. Seated, B. J. Jones and R. H.
McGimsey.
The "Temple of the Wreath" chapter of the Mystic Seven was
founded at Centenary in 1849 by Daniel Martindale, professor of nat-
ural history, and an initiate of the order while a student at Wesleyan
University. These three Centenary students holding regalia of the
order are George Mayo, Harrisonburg, La., Thomas W. Compton,
Vicksburg, Miss., and Robert J. Perkins, Thibodaux, La. All three
graduated in 1856.
It is not surprising to find that secret societies existed
at Centenary, nor is it surprising that little about them
can be found in official records. The Board Minutes of
1859 indicate that, though the College officially recog-
nized the existence of only two societies, the "Mystics"
and the "Palladians," other rival orders were multiply-
ing among the students. The Board found this growth to
be "an evil calculated to engender dissatisfaction among
the members of the Literary Societies and otherwise
impair the usefulness of the College." Its threat to ban
such societies was never carried out by the Board, indi-
cating that the problems alluded to were satisfactorily
settled.
One authority states that the Mystics, Palladians,
Delta Kappa Epsilon, Chi Phi, and Phi Kappa Sigma dis-
banded in 1861, not to be reorganized after the Civil
War. New organizations, however, rose to take their
places, and included Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma, and Pi
Kappa Alpha. Numerous other orders for men have
existed at one time or another in Shreveport besides the
last mentioned which were transferred to the new cam-
pus, but all the women's societies were Shreveport-born.
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M ,rv.w^/^. RutUluis.S?. fates. !fc.
iwroTTi ruiffiuai is cullkuio <h\tk.y\rio „,,«, ,,//,„/y„ m,</,/, „//,>,„„,,„/'
//,,„„„„ ,„„,„„„ /,„„/„/„„ .,/,„/„„„ ,//,„„A,/,„, „/,/, ,/, >„„/, J,.„y, „,r,„» f»~/. rauu
,M,S,W„, /.,„,/, /„.„./,,„,„ „, „/,y„. -,,,,,/,,,,/y,,, ./,„,M*,M,., ./,„/„,//,,„„/,„ ,,'
/n,,^,,,../,,,,,,,.. />,./„/, .,„,.„, . ., /•
,V„
UIMX^LYIII.
The certificate of membership in the Franklin Institute issued to Rutillius P.
Cates.
The Union Literary Society debaters of 1882. Standing, S. J. Davies and M.
A. Bell. Seated, James H. Fore and C. F. Smith.
SOCIETAS CNIO LITERATA
CoHtQti ertftriiarii,
MDCCCXLII,
COJTMM MTrft
OinuibuN qui hoe Diploma » idebitis, Salutem
Seiatia, quod Doni. ./ ■/. *.ftr4*
Soeietatis Iniouiw Literatae, Collegii Centena-
rii, causa promovendi litems et imbuentli pa-
triae et virtuii* amore tuiimos ingtitutae, disuus
Mx-iiis est fuilque; atque porro ornatur ex hoc
et doitatur et eonflrmatur omnibus juribus et
privib'siiM eidem pertinentibus, ut iisdem seni-
piierne flruatur.
in cuju* rei Te*1imonitim, hoc Sigtmm
in I'olleffio, datum
Anno Domini
Pmchch.
SeeretariM*.
The certificate of membership in the Union Literary Society issued to Johan-
nes W. Chevis.
Literary Societies
^.» w**m #0?iV
j.esf your prcserjce at li)eii>
Tuesday, May 31st, 1887.
■Compliments of
JACKSON, LOUISIANA
Literary societies flourished on most American campuses
during the nineteenth century. Primarily organized to give
members experience in oratory and debate, they served as
social clubs as well. Like political parties in the United States,
only two could flourish at one time, for intense rivalry was a
part of their mystique.
The two societies at Centenary were the Union Literary
Society, founded 1842, and the Franklin Institute, founded
1843. In the 1850s when a dissident group formed the Lafay-
ette Society to promote debate in the French language, the
older organizations combined to root out the upstarts.
Both societies maintained extensive libraries, had their own
private quarters in the Center Building, and competed with
each other in debate, oratory, and athletic contests. The Col-
lege assigned one day of commencement week to each society,
when each could "exhibit" its best orators and present a guest
orator, usually an alumnus of the group. No intersociety
debate took place because of the need to avoid possible public
rioting.
These organizations continued to function into the 1920's
in Shreveport, and the Centenary Library today contains hun-
dreds of volumes bearing the book plates of the two societies.
•V.^.
-y- ' .*- 75C> >,j/
>/*
'-- ^r-/,^-v
/
«
The dwindling enrollment in 1861 recorded on the left side of the Faculty Minutes prompted the statement on the right.
The Disruption of War
In 1861, after Louisiana seceded from the Union, the student body and faculty melted away. Per-
haps the most widely known page of Faculty Minutes is that inscribed in a bold hand, "Students' have
all gone to war. College suspended. And God help the right!"
An old legend, recounted many times in factual and fictional accounts of the War, states that the
entire senior class marched away together, and all died in combat. That time and again the legend has
been proved false does not dim its popularity. It is true that most of the alumni served the Confeder-
acy, and it is true also that at least one alumnus died in a battle fought in 1863 on the College grounds,
but many survived the long ordeal.
The College came perilously close to destruction during the War. Neglected, captured and recap-
tured, the buildings and equipment fell into disrepair. No direct battle damage seems to have occur-
red, though a cemetery on the old grounds today contains the graves of those, both Union and Confed-
erate, who died in battle on the campus. More devastating than the damage done by five years of neg-
lect was the loss of all endowment, and the impoverishment of the area and the College clientele.
The Last 40 Years at Jackson
/
When the College announced on August 22, 1866, that it
would reopen for the upcoming term, the announcement did
not hint of the desperate conditions — that virtually all the
former faculty no longer were with the College, that the build-
ings and furniture which remained were badly damaged, that
the library, museum, and laboratory equipment were virtually
unusable, and that operating funds were non-existent.
Never again in its remaining stay in Jackson did the enroll-
ment approach that of ante bellum days. By ones and twos,
students did appear, however, and creakirigly, the institution
began to function. Bishop J. C. Keener of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, South, served as President of the Board of Trus-
tees for those years, and it was only his faith, work, and sup-
port that kept the College alive.
Often unable to pay the faculty, isolated from population
centers, and unable to match the low tuition of the tax-sup-
ported state university which moved to Baton Rouge, the Col-
lege flickered and struggled for life. It tended more and more
to concentrate on producing educated ministers for the Meth-
odist Church. The need for trained preachers was great, and,
though the Methodist Church had not in its early days cared
much about ministerial training, it was beginning to change.
Still, plea after plea of the College to the Church for more
sustenance so that it might do its job went unanswered.
The College could find no major donors to produce the nee-
GKXTKVIKY lIOLUf,
1 &I KOI ISilM.
,..,, la was established b tb State ol
Louisiana in 1823. an.! transferred to tho Mctho.
list Episcopal Church South in L«4C I:
i* now under the join! patronage of the Miasiesipi
,i and Louisiana Conferences.
Tin- College exercises were , werilj
suspended during the war: but were
regularly ro.uwed, after reorganization, on the
oral Monday in October, 1800 The
approaching session will open on the first W la;
. -„( Ootobernast
Tuition, *7fi pei annum payable semi-a.
Boarding can bo obtained at from $20 to
$25 per month.
The Buildings, Uhraries, A,,,,, I,
iboratory, and Societj Halt, the location
. ,f:1„, ,„.,„.„, , the Southern State.
The part history of t»te College i» the pic
dgc of its future prosperity.
pa" to secure thorough education of yo.
ing men committed to their care, in boti
Preparatorj and Collegiate Department*
The old students, alumni, and friends 01
publicity to the full reorganization and opening o
Jackson, La., A.ugust 22d, I860,
G. H. WILEY.
WM. H. WATKIKS,
President.
& rr,l„r,, ,„■(/,, Faculty.
essary funds, though the faculty often prayed for a Rockefeller
or a Carnegie, and the College presidents were almost con-
stantly on the road, seeking money from city and country
churches.
In 1880, so desperate was the financial situation that at
commencement the President took up a collection from the
attending crowd to reimburse the faculty whose personal funds
had paid for repairing the roof. They collected $9.87. The Col-
lege lowered its tuition as the size of the student body dwin-
dled, but to no avail. At one time the total cost of a year at
Centenary, including room, board, fuel for a fireplace in the
bedroom, laundry, tuition and books totaled $125. Even so,
there were too few who could afford it. Enrollment ebbed and
flowed, but even at best the student population rattled about
the huge old buildings.
Bishop J. C. Keener never lost faith, however, and contin-
ued to raise money, send students, find presidents, and give
them advice. To one new president, he wrote in 1896:
It has come to my attention that some of the young gentlemen are
stabling and feeding their horses in the rooms of the West Dormi-
tory. This will cease summarily.
The rumored closing of the College further depressed
attendance and spirits at Centenary early in the twentieth cen-
tury.
Centenary College was closed during the Civil War and the campus was
occupied by Northern troops during the latter days of the war. When the
College opened its doors again in 1866, this notice was sent to prospec-
tive students.
Bishop J. C. Keener from 1866 until his death in 1906 made Centenary
College a prime concern.
Centenary admitted women to its classes in the 1890's, but did not grant them degrees. Carrie and Willie Schwing, members of the class shown above, received
"Certificates of Completion" in 1900, and were awarded degrees in 1947.
M&^ii
•
The fence in the 1898 photograph above was built on the orders of Bishop Keener to keep free- Tennis was popular in 1899, but the formal attire
roaming livestock out of the College buildings. Only the college mule, "Balaam," had quarters s,,,ms Grange today. The college prohibited the wear-
within the fence.
0&&*^**isi^
<> v i, or 1 si a H ;a.
At Jackson, Louisiana,
JULY II, 1877.
PRAY'
These Trustees Minutes of June 6, 1906, marked the end of the Jackson
period.
Tiff Foster was one of the students at Centenary
during Reconstruction. Born in DeSoto Parish, son
of a poor farmer, at age twenty he was called to the
ministry. He then went to Centenary, and took eight
years to progress through the preparatory program
to a degree in 1877. The subject of his graduation
oration, shown in this program, seems prophetic. At
the next Annual Conference, the Church assigned
him to Moreau Street Church, New Orleans. In 1878
a great yellow fever epidemic struck the city, and he
was advised to flee for his life. He stayed, minister-
ing to the sick of his congregation and the city, only
to die in agony. He represents the true embodiment
of the spirit of Centenary of the dark years.
Wc*
>f leather and heeled sh<
is da i
aged.
Sharp eyes may detect a tennis racquet, a baseball bat, and an open Bible in
the hands of the Centenary gentlemen posed on the columns of the Center
Building.
The Beginnings
in Shreveport
/
UiWm
Bayou Pierre had a country aspect before the advent of Centenary. Here
appears sleepy and almost silvery.
VM ^// 01mnUni.nortriiui»^ituili.rilra.»«litfmi:
The Rev. Albert Lutz, a Centenary graduate of 1899, received
this M.A. degree in 1912 at the first graduation held in Shreve- w^" Centenary moved to Shreveport it occupied this developing property.
port.
Jackson Hall in its
first incarnation.
This was the first
building constructed
on the Shreveport
campus, completed
in 1908. Major
repairs saved the
poorly-built
structure once, but
in 1940 the city
condemned it as
unsafe. The three
top stories were
demolished and the
present structure
erected on the stone
basement.
Agitation to move the College to Shreveport began in 1903,
evoked bitter resentment in the people of Jackson, and badly
split the Board of Trustees. Bishop Keener sought to have the
courts declare the transfer illegal, but his death in 1906 weak-
ened the Jacksonians. The Church determined to move.
The Board met for a final session in Jackson in June, 1906,
to attend the commencement of the last two graduates there
and to end its internal struggle over the transfer. President C.
C. Miller and all Board members who had fought the decision
resigned before adjourning sine die, thus creating vacancies
which could be filled with Shreveporters. They left the College
with liquid assets of $118.11.
In Shreveport, the Rutherford-Atkins Realty Company
donated a forty-acre site south of the city for the new campus.
It was difficult of access until the local transit company built a
trolley line to connect the institution with the downtown area,
and the city paved the newly-named Centenary Boulevard
which reached to the campus. Many business firms and indi-
viduals in the city agreed to pay a voluntary millage property
tax to Centenary for its maintenance during the readjustment
period, and honored this arrangement though it was not legally
enforceable.
If the struggle in Jackson had been to the death, prospects
in Shreveport seemed almost as inauspicious. As the Jackson
property rotted away, a new underfinanced Jackson Hall
began to go up on the Shreveport campus at a contract price of
$29,200. This three-story and basement building was designed
to house the students, the faculty, provide classrooms, labora-
tories, library facilities, kitchen, and dining hall — all in one.
Construction delays forced postponement of the opening until
the fall of 1908. Even then the building was more primitive
than those abandoned in Jackson, lacking electricity, running
water, and heat. In Jackson, at least, there were fireplaces in
each room. It was years before these defects were remedied.
The faculty remained small. The announcements for 1918
listed only nine members, including President Wynn, a sum-
mer school instructor, the librarian, the registrar, and two pre-
paratory school instructors. Only forty-three students enrolled
in 1921. It was obvious to all that a major effort at revitaliza-
tion must be made.
fc, ill
t*5
5 i
Si a 1
mm
s
1
Neatness obviously counted with the student body of Centenary College, the
faculty, and the preparatory students, pictured by Jackson Hall in 1915. The
baby held by the nurse near the center is not identified.
Prompted by World War I, Centenary organized its first summer school in
1918. Many of the students participated in military training and wore uni-
forms to class. President Wynn can be seen at left, next to the well-armed
cook.
The Centenary ladies of 1920 pose before Jackson Hall.
Students and faculty about 1920 pose before the only campus building.
The proper way to celebrate a victory in the early days was to organize a "snake dance" on the field.
f^l*. .
The Centenary Quartet of 1921-22 appears ready for a performance, with 1
C. Taylor, 1st tenor, sporting the highest collar to go with the highest voice.
&J J .--
It seems that to field a band in 1921-22, the College had to recruit from the
preparatory school ranks.
^^S^ff ■
■
** mr -~-
w*p
The chemistry laboratories in the basement of Jackson Hall produced no Nobel laureattes, though one did visit there.
The Sexton Years
Centenary's first stadium was located near Centenary Boulevard. The watery
area was a baseball diamond. The new chapel, almost completed is at left
and a corner of Jackson Hall is visible at the far right.
As part of Dr. Sexton's early building program, the new chapel at right and
Colonial Hall at left are shown under construction. Each went through
several metamorphoses before being replaced. The chapel became the Play-
house. Colonial Hall, built for classes, became a women's dormitory before it
was replaced by James Dormitory.
Texas Street in Shreveport appears much busier in this early 1920's photo-
graph than it does today.
Though the Board of Trustees, the President, and the fac-
ulty were utterly dedicated to their tasks in the early years in
Shreveport, they had failed to give Centenary the dynamic,
attention-getting leadership it required. The Board in a mood
almost of panic in 1921 persuaded Dr. George S. Sexton, a
remarkably successful clergyman and pastor of the First Meth-
odist Church in Shreveport, to assume — at least temporarily
— the Presidency of the College. He accepted, and gave the
remainder of his life to the College.
His accomplishments are legend. He greatly expanded the
offerings of the College both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Enrollment jumped almost geometrically year by year. For the
first time, the College achieved a respectable endowment. In
1925 the Southern Association officially accredited Centen-
ary. The campus sprouted new buildings almost overnight.
Most were temporary structures, but they served their pur-
pose.
The magic factor in the transformation was publicity —
publicity which stemmed from a remarkably successful foot-
ball team, at first financed, not by the College, but by "inter-
ested citizens" of Shreveport. The ambitious and loosely-gov-
erned football program alarmed the accrediting associations,
causing one prominent educator to say, "Centenary cannot
hope to associate with decent folk, so long as those in authority
there uphold the sort of thing that has made her name anath-
ema in the world of college athletics."
Sexton worked frantically to clear up the athletic deficien-
cies, and with proper, rule-conscious direction, the team
became not only respectable, but a terror among football pow-
ers. With this problem under control, the horizon seemed
unlimited. Then came the Depression, and in 1932 Dr. Sexton
retired.
Moving the dining hall and kitchen to a wooden building made available much needed spac
son Hall.
for classes and dormitory rooms in the rapidly deteriorating Jack-
i
j 1
**
«?!L<
i
As part of a program to reconcile the die-
hard Jackson supporters, and to rea-
waken ihe sense of continuity between
the old and new campuses, Centenary
brought these columns to Shreveport
from the old Center Building when it was
demolished in 1935. They were
destroyed when a tornado hit the campus.
Centenary organized a night law class in 1925
which operated for many years. Several of the
members of the first class shown at right were
admitted to the bar.
The King and Queen of the "Y" Carnival Parade in 1925 were not amused by this less royal couple in the
same parade.
The ketchup seen on the tables of the old Centenary dining hall was The Centenary Glee Club, formed in 1922, was an all-male group. The lady in the
probably a necessary amenity. center is the accompanist.
M. I. V „•!>.-. II.
.•i.l.l I ..i „■,(!,.
Colonial Hall, built in the 1920's expansion program, was first known as the College Building. It
became a women's dormitory, and was located on the site where James Dormitory now stands.
Letters of prominent Shreveporters were printed to
entice parents to send their children to the Centenary
Academy, an adjunct of the College, in 1925.
With this grassy performance of Rostand's "Romancers," the Centenary stu-
dents honored the alumni and graduates in June, 1925.
Some Greek organizations did not survive the transplantation from Jackson to
Shreveport. This 1924 local fraternity posing on the steps of Jackson Hall even-
tually won a recharter of Kappa Sigma.
— \
Unlike modern U.S. Presidents who use many pens to sign important legislation.
Dr. Pierce Cline. Bishop Hoyt M. Dobbs. and Dr. George Sexton are armed with
just one apiece for this ceremon) .
»•••♦ ^
V
The Crisis of
the Depression
The Great Depression of 1929-33 threatened to abort
the progress the College had made in the 1920's. Enroll-
ment declined as Centenary students found it difficult lo
meet even the modest tuition charges. The College began
accepting unsalable bales of cotton in lieu of cash. Bond
issues necessitated by the expansion program could not
be paid off, and even the interest was burdensome. The
New Orleans Christian Advocate charged fiscal misman-
agement and hinted at scandal in the College financial
affairs, for which it later apologized.
Dr. Pierce Cline, Professor of History, assumed the
Presidency, and guided the College through the morass
of problems, helped every step of the way by the counsel
of Paul M. Brown, Jr., Secretary-treasurer of the Board,
and Bishop Hoyt M. Dobbs, Board Chairman, who made
Centenary almost their full-time concern during the
years of crisis. The faculty, strong academically, was
even stronger in its faith in the College. Paid in scrip
redeemable in goods at cooperating stores, and with the
use of campus housing, they survived.
Perhaps partially in gratitude for the faculty's dedi-
cated service, and certainly also because of a strong tra-
dition, the Board and the College Administration stood
united in support of academic freedom for students and
faculty. Never has the College wavered on this issue.
Through frugality, wise management, generous
donors, and public confidence in its leadership, the Col-
lege came out of the Depression stronger than ever,
poised for new greatness.
1..,
vJlmm
The scrip system developed by Centenary to tide it and its fac-
ulty through the cashless days of the depression is symbolized
by these scrip stamps which became a medium of exchange
with cooperating business firms, banks, and the College com-
munity.
Faculu Marshalls, such as George Reynolds, shown at left ready to lead the
graduation procession of 1932, traditionally carried a shepherd's crook as a
symbol of office in earlier years.
Kollege Kapers, a project of Dr. S. D. Morehead, brought a Centenary
student variety show to many a large and small town in the Ark-La-Tex
during the depression years.
Centenary and
World War II
The Second World War saw Centenary enlist — if an
institution can do so — turning its strength, courage,
and tradition to the nation's service. The College files
overflow with personal stories of its graduates who
served with distinction, and the roll of those who died is
sobering. Regular academic work continued, but super-
imposed on the curriculum were many war service pro-
grams. Most evident of these was the Aviation Cadet Pre-
Flight Program through which thousands of young men
got at least a short taste of Centenary. Most of the cadet
activities were housed in the newly acquired satellite
campus, the former Dodd College, purchased and
donated to Centenary by the Haynes family in 1943.
Though getting through the war years was the primary
College concern, vital planning for the uncertain future
never ceased. The unexpected death of President Cline
in 1943 thus made finding a capable successor a critical
task for the Board and Paul M. Brown, Jr., its chairman
since 1941.
A Centenary alumnus marries a nurse on New Guinea in 1944.
The Dodd College property, the main building seen above, a Baptist Jun-
ior College lor girls, was purchased by the Haynes family for Centenary
in 1943. It was used for the Aviation Cadet Pre-Flight Program during
World War II, and later as an auxiliary campus for Centenary. It is now
the site of First Baptist Church.
This group of buildings, Vets Villa, was one of Centenary's heritages from World War II. These sur-
plus buildings were moved to the campus to house returning veterans who entered the college.
Centenary's most honored athlete, Paul
Geisler was named to virtually every
All-American team in 1933. Geisler
played end for Centenary in 1931, '32,
and '33. He died in a plane crash in
World War II.
A panoramic view of Centenary football stadium in 1932 where Centenary won over L.S.U. in an undefeated season which included victories over Texas, Ole
Miss, SMI'. TVvas A&M. and a tie with Arkansas. Like the gymnasium, the stadium was the gift of Mr. Arch Haynes, an avid sports fan. It was located just south
of the present Gold Dome.
Manning Smith. Centenary's quarterback in its glory years of 1931-
32-33. runs against Texas A&M in a 20-0 Gentlemen victory.
f' s
M^m
**&*
Dr. Sexton and Coach Norton exhort the 1922 Gentle
Homer H. Norton, right, was one of the coaches of the last "pre-McMillan" team in
1921. He stayed as an assistant to "Bo" to help with the "Gentlemen," as the team
was rechristened by Dr. Sexton from their former name, "Ironsides." He produced
back-to-back unbeaten squads in 1932 and 1933, after which he left for the top
coaching position at Texas A&M.
An action shot of the Centenary-Texas A&M game at Beaumont in 1934. The Gen-
tlemen won 13-0. It was not unusual for the daring to play without helmets, or to
accidentally lose them as this ball carrier has done.
Bishop Keener, President of the Board of Trustees in
the Jackson period, strongly opposed organized sports.
Student attempts to play schedules of intercollegiate
football and baseball ceased abruptly in 1898 when the
Trustees resolved "that we will not countenance or per-
mit students of this college or any professor to engage in
any intercollegiate contests of baseball or football, or in
any physical games outside of the college campus." The
students had to be content with intramural games, and
even these were hampered by a Board edict against "any
ball play within a hundred yards of any building."
In Shreveport, faculty and students early joined to
play against high school and area amateur teams, and as
sports enthusiasm grew, the College officially fielded
football, basketball, and baseball teams. As strong a sup-
porter of intercollegiate athletics as Bishop Keener had
been an opponent, Dr. Sexton led the College into an
unprecedented era of athletics. The College had teams in
all basic sports, but emphasized football. Warmly sup-
ported by the community both with funds and attend-
ance, the Gentlemen, as the teams were christened by
Dr. Sexton, brought national attention to the College.
Centenary football especially was blessed for nearly
two decades with outstanding coaches such as Homer
Norton and Curtis Parker, outstanding players such as
Paul Geisler and Manning Smith, supporters such as
Arch Haynes and Bonneau Peters, and a hex on teams
from the Southwest Conference.
World War II and soaring costs ended the intercollegi-
ate football program, but the College continues to play a
major college schedule in many sports. Most interest is
focused on baseball and basketball. The new Gold Dome
athletic center is now the home for the Gentlemen, while
Haynes Gymnasium is primarily used for intramural
sports.
\
Sports at
Centenary
"Bo" McMillan, top left, persuaded Centenary to establish the "Mena Summer
School" in 1922, where his team spent the summer in practice. This photograph
shows Dean R. E. Smith seated left. Dr. Sexton at right and the 1923 team at
"Camp Standing Rock" near Mena, Arkansas. This type of off-campus activity was
part of the reason why the Southern Association in 1924 delayed accredidation to
Centenary.
There are seldom any unoccupied seats when the Gentlemen play in Each class fielded a basketball team in 1925. These are the sophomores,
the Gold Dome.
The "new" gymnasium was one of Dr. Sexton's wooden wonders. It
was replaced by Haynes Gymnasium, which in turn has been super-
seded b\ the Gold Dome.
Heating facilities in the wooden gym were primitive, as these Centenary athletes
show in 1937.
The Builders
Dr. Joe J. Mickle, who succeeded Dr. Cline, was destined to
hold the office longer than any Centenary president. Deep
dedication to Methodism, administrative experience in a Meth-
odist college in Japan, and a reputation as a scholar in interna-
tional affairs were only his most obvious qualifications.
The post-war veteran boom brought a spectacular surge in
enrollment to Centenary, taxing every facility, crowding every
classroom, overloading every professor, and forcing the
erection of dozens of pre-fabricated structures on the campus,
temporarily giving it the appearance of an army post. Then
began the task of raising massive sums for endowment and
permanent construction — dormitories, a cafeteria, a science
center, a religious education center, a chapel, an expanded
student center, a new library, a theater and a music building.
Master plans were devised, revised, and revised again. Yet,
while the construction continued, the endowment grew, and
the faculty expanded and developed. Excellence in instruction,
long the tradition of Centenary, became even more deeply
engrained.
When President Mickle retired and Board chairman Brown
turned over his position to George D. Nelson in 1964, they
had transformed the campus from a rather dowdy, temporary-
appearing place into an efficient, modern plant of unusual
beauty. Never was Centenary stronger.
Destruction precedes construction, and appears to be more fun.
Dr. and Mrs. Joe J. Mickle saw more Centenary alumni
graduate than did any other presidential couple.
■■" MW, WU»I Wt*^_
pruni/im
»' gi.*fl|
5^«£r
ESifl
The Science Building, shown
underway in 1949, was the first
major post-war project. It now
bears the name Mickle Hall.
Valuable and rare College volumes in the 1950's had to be stored in the attic
of Rotary Hall because the library in the old Arts building could not house
them. Today over 3.000 of these volumes from the old Jackson Centenary
collection, including many books from the libraries of the Union and Frank-
lin societies are housed in the new Centenary Library along with a collection
of over 120.000 volumes.
With the construction of Mickle Hall, the campus turned its face toward Woodlawn Avenue and began to
take on an entirely new aspect.
Impressively lined up on Woodlawn Avenue are the College buildings most visited by the public.
R.O.T.C. had a short and controversial life on
the campus in the 1950's.
The mud pit between the tug-of-war teams was to be avoided at all <
Building continued at Centenary under Presidents Jack S.
\\ ilkc- and John Horton Allen as the College prepared for its
L50th anniversary. Expanded dormitory and cafeteria facili-
ties, a modern physical education center and an impressive
administration building filled long-fell needs.
Yet, unnerving crises developed as 1()7() neared. New state
higher educational facilities opened in Shreveport and drew
off some enrollment which formerly could l>e counted on for
Centenary. The population boom which inflated enrollments
in the l(K)0"s eased. Tuition had to be increased to meet new
COStS, and. to protect students caught by the increase, scholar-
ships had to be expanded. Main students were no longer con-
tent to live in college-supen ised facilities, and left some of the
new dormitory rooms vacant though the costs continued. Infla-
tion was boosting costs while other factors were reducing
income — a universal problem which higher education has yet
to solve. The fall of 1974, however, saw the first enrollment
increase in three years, innovative new programs proved popu-
lar, and annual giving through the Great Teachers-Scholars
Fund drive set a new record for any year.
For 150 years. Centenary College of Louisiana has been
committed to its role as an undergraduate institution empha-
sizing the liberal arts. Its commitment remains firm.
The Most Recent Decade
bounders Day meant political speeches in Crumley Gardens in the I960';
Some College traditions die slowly but inevitably. Freshman hazing could
not survive the 1960's. Present-day students can hardly believe the docility
with which their predecessors accepted the indignities heaped upon them.
The thirty-second president of the College in 150 years, John Horton
Allen and students ponder the future.
Paul M. Brown, Jr., a third-generation alumnus, congratulates his grand-
son, a fifth generation graduate.
Most students agree that registration is designed to discourage even
the most dedicated scholar.
After a wad from one shot of the KA cannon knocked loose the doors of
James Dormitory and almost decapitated the housemother, and another
round fragmented the windows in the automobile of the President of the
Wesleyan Service Guild, the college ordered the cannon chained down.
The College, the Public, and the Arts
The Centenary College Choir whose musicianship and showmanship have
made it an international favorite was born in the old music building, shown
above.
The most obvious relationship of Centenary to the
public is the College's continued emphasis on public per-
formances by its students and staff, both on campus and
off. The traditions of good theater year-round in the Mar-
jorie Lyons Playhouse, band and summer band concerts
in Hargrove Ampitheater, vocal and instrumental per-
formances in the Hurley Concert Hall and Brown
Chapel, and exhibitions of permanent and traveling art
collections in the Library Gallery are only a few of the
ways the public is served by the College. Most artistic
groups in the city have strong historic ties with Centen-
ary, from the Shreveport Symphony which has its perma-
nent quarters on the campus to the Art Guild which reg-
ularlv meets there.
The late Jean Despujol's works on Southeast Asia form the solid center of the Col-
lege's permanent art collection.
r:
Sighs of relief and cries of joy from graduates, parents and faculty punctuate the spring air following Baccalaureate services. Brown Memorial
Chapel symbolizes the 135-year relationship of the College and the Methodist Church.
For 150 years, the Board of Trustees has
been a vital, ever-renewed bulwark for the Col-
lege. Not only have the members given direetion
and guidance to the institution, but the mem-
bers have ever been the most generous financial
contributors to its support. Shown at left is the
Board of 1968, in many ways typical of those
which have served so well. The family names of
many of its members appear on campus build-
ings and sites, and date far back into the history
of the College, for membership on the Board has
become a family tradition, passed on to succeed-
ing generations, not so much as a privilege but
as a deeply felt obligation. Churchmen, bankers,
lawyers, doctors, businessmen, alumni, civic
leaders, and just plain citizens give generously
of their time, talent, and worldly goods to per-
petuate the ideals of Centenary College, often-
times without public recognition. To account
specifically in a work of this type for the gener-
osity of donors, both on and off the Board, is
impossible, but to ignore their contributions
would be unforgiveable.
Perhaps it was one of these teachers who set you on your course in life.
Dean R. E. Smith
Rrlifiion
Dr. Mary Warters
Dr. John B. Entrikin
Chemistry
Dr. Bryant Davidson
History
ill. r M. Lowrey. layout design bj Margaiel Fis h« i
Cmlmar) College Library, and the late Mr*. Kailil.
I * jntli Ru-h. .mil phrjlo^raphy by Lav*renre Lea an
i Marshall Owens. Published b) ihe Centenary Colle,
Lulz. Jr.. Dr. J. Henry Bowdrn. Mr
Centenary exists to serve society, and its alumni provide the
measure of its success. The four groups below, photographed
for the Yoncopin while students, typify the paths taken by the
Centenary alumni.
The 1968 Maroon Jackets include two college professors, one a linguist
teaching in Korea, several Masters degree holders, and all are active in their
family and community life. i
Dr. John L. Scales, an 1892 alumnus, maintained his deep interest in Cen-
tenary until his death in 1969 at the age of 97. He served almost fifty years
on the Board of Trustees.
From this group of 1958 officers of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, geological soci-
ety, have come two professional geologists, two Ph.D. geology professors,
and an executive of a major trucking firm.
The faculty advisors and the officers of Alpha Epsilon Delta, honorary pre-
medical fraternity, pose for the 1958 Yoncopin. The students are all now
practicing physicians.
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