George Perley Phenix (1864–1930), was an American educator and university president. He served as the fourth president of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University), a historically Black university. He was the namesake of George P. Phenix High School, a segregated public secondary school for African-Americans affiliated with Hampton Institute.

Biography

Phenix was born in September 1864 in Portland, Maine. He attended

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, United States. Founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, it was renamed Waterville College in 1821. The donations of Christian philanthropist Gardner ...

, where he received a D.S. degree (1883) and was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. After graduation Phenix worked as an instructor of the

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

s at the State Normal School in

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...

, before he became a principal of the State Normal School at Willimantic. He was married to Maria Elizabeth Stevens, and together they had son George Spencer Phenix. In 1904, Phenix moved to Hampton, Virginia to teach at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University). He initially worked as a vice principal and director of the summer school at Hampton. In 1930, he was selected as the president of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University), a role in which he served for only 6 months before drowning. He was the first person to be granted the title of "president"; prior to his tenure the title used was "principal". During Phenix's time as president, the name of the school was changed from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute to the Hampton Institute, and the school established the School of Nursing. He died on October 4, 1930, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, while swimming at Buckroe Beach. Phenix is buried in the Hampton University Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phenix, George Perley 1864 births 1930 deaths Educators from Portland, Maine Colby College alumni Presidents of Hampton University People from Hampton, Virginia 20th-century American educators