Julius Cherry Powell (January 23, 1926 – 1988) was an American academic teacher and the seventh president of Eastern Kentucky University.

Early life and education

Julius Cherry Powell was born January 23, 1926, in Harriman, Tennessee, to Julius K. and Lucille C. Powell. He graduated from Harrodsburg High School in 1944 and then attended the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

after two years in the military. He received his Master of Education Degree from the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

in 1952 and later received his Doctor of Education degree from the

in 1970.

Secondary education work

Powell served as a high school

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

teacher at Atherton High School in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, from 1950 until 1953. From 1953 to 1957 he held a variety of positions including Assistant Director of

Curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

, Director of Instructional Services, and Assistant to Superintendent of the Louisville Public Schools.

University work

From 1957 to 1960 he was a divisional director for the Kentucky Department of Education and joined the staff of Eastern Kentucky University in 1960 as an Executive Assistant to the President. Powell held a variety of positions at Eastern Kentucky University including Dean of Business Affairs, Executive Dean, and Vice-President for

Administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

. Powell became the 7th president of Eastern Kentucky University following Robert R. Martin's retirement in 1976. He served as president until 1984 and was succeeded by Dr.

Hanley Funderburk Henry Hanley Funderburk (June 19, 1931 – August 4, 2012) was the President of Auburn University, from 1980 to 1983. Biography In 1980, Henry Hanley Funderburk became President of Auburn University after Governor Fob James recommended him. He was ...

Death

Powell died in 1988 and was survived by his wife of 38 years, Elizabeth D. Case, and his two daughters Karen and Julia.

Legacy

Built in 1971 the $5.4 million J.C. Powell Building (Eastern's Student Center) houses meeting and conference rooms, a

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...

, the campus

cafeteria A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school ...

, student lounges, a bowling alley, and an arcade. ''(The bowling alley and arcade are now closed)'' The Powell Student Center recently underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2019. It houses the Student Government Association offices, along with the offices of other student affairs-related organizations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Julius Cherry 1926 births 1988 deaths People from Harriman, Tennessee Academics from Kentucky University of Kentucky alumni University of Louisville alumni Presidents of Eastern Kentucky University 20th-century American academics