James Harold Daughdrill Jr. (April 25, 1934 – May 3, 2014) was the 18th president of Rhodes College. He was installed as president in 1973 and retired in 1999. He was the son of James Harold Daughdrill and Louisa Coffee Dozier. In 1964, he was the president of Kingston Mills, a $17 million carpet and textile business, but left that to study for the Presbyterian ministry. After finishing his studies for the ministry, he served as minister of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

from 1967 to 1970. He served as the Secretary of Stewardship of Presbyterian Church U.S. from 1970-73.

Career

Daughdrill became president of Rhodes College in 1973, a time when the college was struggling financially. During his tenure, he helped grow the student body from 980 students to 1,450 students. The college endowment grew from $6 million to over $200 million and during his tenure, Daughdrill maintained a balanced budget. In 1986, he initiated the change in the college's name from Southwestern at Memphis to Rhodes College after one of the college's previous presidents, Dr. Peyton Rhodes. He was Chairman of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Accreditation to the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

Personal

He attended the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He attended

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

before graduating from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

in 1956. He went to the Columbia Theological Seminary where he graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

from in 1964. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (D.D) degree from Davidson College. On June 26, 1954, he married Elizabeth 'Libby' Anne Gay (born June 14, 1936). He was a member of

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

fraternity. He died on May 3, 2014, aged 80.

Legacy

The ''J. Hal Daughdrill Award,'' is given to the "Most Valuable Player" of the Lynx football team. The award honors James Harold Daughdrill Sr. (1903–1986), outstanding football player, athlete, business leader, and the father of Rhodes' eighteenth President. The ''Rebecca Rish Gay Award'' and ''Walter E. Gay Award'' are given to the "Athletes of the Year" and are named after the parents of former President Daughdrill's wife, Libby Daughdrill.

References

External sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Daughdrill, James Emory University alumni Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Rhodes College 1934 births 2014 deaths People from LaGrange, Georgia