Inaugural
Addresses
It
was the college's tradition to have new faculty present Inaugural
Addresses. The speeches were public events and attended by college
supporters from across the region. The speeches were also published
as small pamphlets by the college.
The
addresses are in PDF format and as HTML transcripts.. In order to
view the PDF files, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed
on your PC. If you do not have Acrobat Reader,
click here to download it from Adobe. Depending
on individual monitor sizes and resolutions, it may be necessary
to use the "zoom" tool in Adobe Acrobat Reader to achieve the cleanest
text and easiest to read the text. NOTE: The PDF files are not searchable.
Robert
Hall Morrison (Address 1838) PDF
file
Reverend
Morrison was Davidson College’s first president, serving from
March 1837 to July 1840. Born in 1798 in Cabarrus County, NC, Morrison
worked as a pastor and literary editor before his time at Davidson.
He returned to preaching after resigning the presidency and continued
to serve on Davidson’s Board of Trustees until 1874. He died
in 1889.
For
information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection,
DC0225s and Archives Collection
RG 2/1.1
Patrick
Sparrow (Address 1838) PDF
file
Born in 1802 in Lincoln County, NC, Reverend Sparrow
was the first faculty member at Davidson College. Serving first
as an agent responsible for securing funds for Davidson, Sparrow
was elected Professor of Languages in 1837. He died in 1867. For
information on additional records, please see Davidson College Manuscript
Collection,
DC0204s
Daniel Harvey Hill (Address 1855) PDF
file
Born in 1821 in York County, SC, Lieutenant General
Daniel Harvey Hill graduated from the United States Military Academy
at West Point in 1842 and served in the military until 1847. He
became Professor of Mathematics at Davidson in 1853 and taught until
1859 when he returned to military service. He died in 1889 in Charlotte,
NC.
Henry Louis Smith (Address 1901) PDF
file
Born in 1859, Reverend Henry Louis Smith, D.D. was Davidson's first president who was not a Presbyterian minister. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Smith graduated from Davidson College in 1881. After receiving advanced degrees from the University of Virginia, he returned to Davidson in 1887 as a professor of physics. As a scientist, Smith was involved in early work with X-rays and is credited with producing one of the first X-ray photographs in the United States. Smith left Davidson in 1912 to assume the presidency of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and died in 1951.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection, DC046 and the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.10
Walter Lee Lingle (Address 1929) PDF
file
Born in 1868 and a graduate of Davidson College (class of 1892) Reverend Walter Lee Lingle, D.D., LL.D. also attended Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, graduating in 1896. In 1902 he was elected to the Davidson College Board of Trustees. He served as president of the Board from 1906 to 1929. Lingle also, served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1920 and as president of the Presbyterian General Assembly's Training School in Richmond, Virginia, before accepting the presidency of Davidson College in 1929. Lingle died in 1956.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection, DC014 and the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.12
Samuel Reid Spencer, Jr. (Address 1968) PDF
file
(b. 1919) Born in 1919, Sam Spencer was the first president of the Davidson student body to become president of the college. After graduating summa cum laude from Davidson College in 1940, Dr. Spencer, LL.D. served in the U.S. Army during 1940-1945 and was released from active duty as a major. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard University. From 1951-1954, Spencer served as assistant to President Cunningham before he was named Dean of Students and Associate Professor of History, advancing to full professor in 1955. He left Davidson in 1957 to become president of Mary Baldwin College. From 1966 until 1968, he served on the Davidson College Board of Trustees.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection, DC046 and the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.15
John Rood Cunningham (Address 1941) PDF
file
Born in 1891, Reverend John Rood Cunningham, D.D., LL.D. was a native of Williamsburg, Missouri. Cunningham obtained his B.A. degree from Westminister (Presbyterian) College in 1914 and his D.D. from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in 1917. Prior to becoming president of Davidson College, Cunningham served as the pastor of several large churches and as president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. On his retirement from Davidson, Cunningham was appointed Executive Director of the Southern Presbyterian Foundation, serving until 1964. He died in 1980.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection, DC005 and the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.13
Elijah
Rockwell (Address 1851) PDF
file
Born in 1809 in Lebanon, Connecticut, Reverend Rockwell
studied at Yale College and Colombia and Princeton seminaries before
becoming a professor at Davidson in 1850, serving until 1868. After
a career as educator and pastor, Rockwell died in 1888 in Fifth
Creek, NC.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection,
DC0152s
David Grier Martin (Address 1958) PDF
file
Born in 1910 and a graduate of Davidson College (class of 1932) Dr. Grier Martin, LL.D. served as Davidson College treasurer under President Cunningham. A native of Covington, Georgia, Martin attended Emory University and Harvard Business School for his graduate studies. He was awarded honorary degrees from King College, Wake Forest University, Duke University, Erskine College, Davidson College, and the University of North Carolina. He died in 1974.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection, DC006 and the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.14
John Wells Kuykendall (Address 1984) PDF
file
Born in 1938, Dr. John Wells Kuykendall, Ph.D., D.D., a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, graduated from Davidson College in 1959. He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale Divinity School, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. Kuykendall served as the Presbyterian campus pastor for Princeton University. He also, served as professor of religion and campus pastor for Auburn University. In 1982, he was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and was selected as the Outstanding Teacher in the School of Arts of Sciences for Auburn University.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College
Manuscript Collection, DC008 and the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.16
Robert Fredrick Vagt (Address 1997) PDF
file
Born in 1947 and a graduate of Davidson College (class of 1969), Robert Fredrick (Bobby) Vagt began his post as Davidson's 16th president on July 1, 1997. Vagt also graduated from Duke Divinity School and was ordained by Concord Presbytery. He served as director of clinical programs in the Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center before becoming executive director of the Municipal Assistance Corporation for New York City from 1979-80. Vagt also served as chairman, president and chief operating officer for Seagull Energy Corporation, an international oil and gas exploration and production company based in Houston, Texas.
For information on additional records, please see the Davidson College Archival Collection, RG 2/1.17
