Merrimon Cuninggim (1911–1995) was a Methodist minister and university administrator.

Early life

Augustus Merrimon Cuninggim was born on May 11, 1911, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

.Robert McG. Thomas, Jr.
Merrimon Cuninggim, 84, Minister and Educator
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 5, 1995 His father, Jesse Lee Cuninggim, was a Methodist minister who moved Scarritt College from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, to Nashville, and later taught at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in Nashville. His mother was Maud Merrimon Cuninggim. His sister, Margaret Cuninggim, served as dean of women at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

and later at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Cuninggim graduated from Vanderbilt University and went on to earn a master's degree in English from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

, followed by a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in history from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a Bachelor of Divinity and a PhD in education from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Career

In the 1940s, Cuninggim was Professor of Religion at

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

Emory, Virginia Emory is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,251 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a com ...

, and later at

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

Granville, Ohio Granville is a Village (United States)#Ohio, village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,646 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. The village is located in a rural area of rolling hills in central Ohio. It is e ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served as a chaplain in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1944 to 1946. From 1946 to 1951, he was Professor of Religion at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popul ...

. From 1951 to 1960, Cuninggim served as Dean of

Perkins School of Theology Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. During his tenure, in 1952, he successfully led the drive to racially integrate, making it the first desegregated graduate school in the American South.Civil Rights Digital Library
/ref> Cuninggim served as the executive director of the

Danforth Foundation The Danforth Foundation was one of the largest private nonprofit foundations in the St. Louis Metropolitan region. It closed its doors in 2011 after 84 years of operation and more than a billion dollars in grants distributed. Background Establishe ...

from 1960 to 1973. Later, Cuninggim also served as the president of

Salem College Salem College is a private women's liberal arts college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772 as a primary school, it later became an academy (high school) and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational establ ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, from 1976 to 1979. He also served on the boards of trustees of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University and Duke University. Cuninggim founded The Center for Effective Philanthropy in 1979. From 1979 to his death in 1995, he was a consultant for the

Duke Endowment The Duke Endowment is a private foundation established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke. It supports selected programs of higher education, health care, children's welfare, and spiritual life in North Carolina and South ...

, the

Lilly Endowment Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and among the largest endowments in the United States. It was founded in 1937 by Josiah K. (J. K.) Lilly Sr. and his so ...

, the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

, the

Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) is an organization focused on empowering college, university, and foundation boards to govern with knowledge and confidence. AGB provides leadership and counsel to member board ...

, the

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was formed by Mary Reynolds Babcock and her siblings to honor their brother, Zachary Smith Reynolds, who died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 20 at the Reynolds family home, Reynolda House. The Foun ...

, and the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

. He also served as a consultant for the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center at Vanderbilt University, named in honor of his sister.

Tennis

Cuninggim was a ranked tennis player who competed at Wimbledon and Forest Hills. At

, he was both the tennis coach and the chairman of the Religious Department.

Personal life and death

Cuninggim was married to Annie Whitty Daniel. They had three daughters, Lee Neff, Terry and Peneloppe Cuninggim. He died on November 1, 1995, in

Cockeysville, Maryland Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 census. History Cockeysville was named after the Cockey family who helped establish the town. Thomas Cockey (1676� ...

Bibliography

*''The College Seeks Religion'' (1948) *''Freedom's Holy Light'' (1955) *''Christianity & Communism'' (with others, 1958) *''The Protestant Stake in Higher Education'' (1961) *''Private Money and Public Service: The Role of the Foundation in American Society'' (1972) *''Church-Related Higher Education'' (with others, 1979) *''Letters to a Foundation Trustee: What We Need to Know About Foundations and Their Management'' (1991) *''Uneasy Partners: the College & the Church'' (1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuninggim, Merrimon 1911 births 1995 deaths Religious leaders from Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University alumni Duke University alumni Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Emory and Henry College faculty Denison University faculty Southern Methodist University faculty Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Methodists from Tennessee Yale Divinity School alumni American Rhodes Scholars American male tennis players Pomona College faculty Methodists from Texas