Campus Histories: LMU Literary Hall of Fame

Dr. Kincaid was a writer for most of his life, beginning as a newspaper reporter in his early teens. Dr.  Robert Kincaid loved LMU. As a student, an alumnus, and as LMU President he demonstrated a  dedicated and unswerving loyalty to Lincoln Memorial University. Dr. Kincaid wrote over 20 books, many  having to do with the history of Lincoln Memorial University and the life of Abraham Lincoln. He is most  famous for writing the Wilderness Road book, first published in 1947, it is still in print today.

In the late 1920′s, while a professor at LMU, Harry was beginning his career as a successful novelist.  Kroll’s principal works are: Mountainy singer, 1928; Cabin in the cotton, 1931; I was a sharecropper (his  autobiography), 1937; Keepers of the house, 1940; The Usurper, 1941; Rider on the bronze horse, 1942;  among many others.

Dr. Will A McCall leaves an international heritage. After receiving his AA degree form Cumberland  College he earned his BA at LMU. Dr. McCall went on to receive an MA, PhD, and an honorary literary  degree form Columbia University. He became a member of the Columbia Teachers College faculty at 24  and remained there for 41 years. Among his literary achievements are: How to measure in education, I  thunk me a thought, and Happy trails of tears. 

Dr. McClelland served as president of LMU form 1932 until 1947. He later served as a member of the  university’s Board of Trustees, as chairman from 1973-1975. In 1940 Dr. McClelland wrote a noteworthy  history of th LMU called Fifty years of service. In addition to being president of LMU Dr. McClelland was  also a president of the National Echange Club and held the position of Dean of Instruction for the famous  Dale Carnegie courses. 

Dr. McCordock taught History here at LMU for 14 years. He was an authority on the Civil War era and  authored The Yankee Cheesbox; a critically acclaimed book about the battle between the Monitor and the  Merrimac. 

Rev. Frye was a teacher before entering the ministry of the Methodist Church. He served on several  pastorates in the Holston Conference for 43 years. When he was 78 years of age he wrote an  autobiographical account of his ministry titled: No greater calling. He also wrote a number of sermons and  poetry

After receiving his BA from the University of Tennessee and his MA from Columbia University David went  on to teach English and Education at LMU before becoming th director of library services in the UT  Division of Continuing Education, retiring after 34 years. Harkness compiled a series of 55 historical,  literary and bibliographical booklets. Some of the most popular titles include: Tennessee heritage, Literary  New England, Legends of the Southern Indians,and Happy Holidays. 

A renown clergyman, author and speaker, John Wesley Hill avidly championed, promoted and raised  funds for LMU for two decades. Much of the growth of LMU can be attributed to his untiring efforts. John  authored two noteworthy books:Abraham Lincoln, man of God and If Lincoln were here. 

Dr. Edgar Holt, Claiborne County Historian, is a graduate of Claiborne County high school and received a  BA from LMU, an MA in history and political science from the University of Iowa and a PhD in history and  political science from Ohio State University. He served in the Air Force during WWII and the Korean  Conflict and wrote several histories, including the early year histories of the United States Air Force  Academy and classified histories of Air Operations in the Southwest and Western Pacific. Two books he authored are History of Claiborne County and Party Politics in Ohio.

John Rice Irwin is an educator, musician, historian, real estate dealer, farmer, speaker, writer, and one of  our more outstanding stewards of Appalachian culture. His Museum of Appalachia, located at Norris,  Tennessee, covers an 80-acre site, has 35 pioneer structures and over 200,000 southern Appalachian  mountain relics representing the history and culture of the people of the region. The Appalachian Fall  Festival, conducted each year at the Museum, attracts thousands of people to two full days of mountain music, old time activities, traditional crafts and a book fair. John Rice Irwin is the author of several books,  including Marcellus Moss Rice, Baskets and Basketmakers of the Appalachias, Guns and Gunmakers of  Southern Appalachia and Musical Instruments of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Dr. Carter received his MA from Duke University in 1935. He was conferred the honorary Doctor of  Humane Letters in 1968 from LMU. He was a teacher, principal, department head, faculty member and  professor over the course of his long career. His writing include 4 unpublished manuscripts, professional  articles, a continuing series of book reviews and a workbook for freshman: Grammatical functions in  English, forms A and B.

Ross Carter died in April of 1947, shortly before his book Those Devils in Baggy Pants was  completed. Those Devils in Baggy Pants is a moving account of his experiences as a paratrooper during  WWII. Ross’ brother, Dr. Boyd Carter edited the final chapters from Ross’ notes and from long  conversations he had with Ross as he lay slowly dying from cancer in the hospital. Boyd G carter  established “The Ross S Carter Memorial Award for Creative Writing” at LMU in 1948 in honor of his  brother.

A native of historic Cumberland Gap, Nola Comer witnessed many changes in the region since the turn of  the 20th century. She received her teaching certificate from LMU and taught in Cumberland Gap before  becoming a bookkeeper for an area coal company. During the 1970′s Nola wrote a book: Cumberland  Gap as I remember it, which recounts her impressions and experiences as a girl growing up in the Gap.

While in high school Shirley won the O Henry Sertoma Scholarship for her essay America the melting pot.  After graduating form LMU Shirley has written 2 books: Mountain memories, a compilation of pioneer  recipes, old photographs local history and folkways; and Granny Becky’s favorite quilts.

Dr. Lawrence Edwards, a native of Claiborne County, received his doctorate from the University of  Tennessee and taught English at UT and numerous other colleges and universities. He was a Navy  veteran of World War II, serving in the Aleutian Islands as a communications officer. He wrote a number  of books during his career, most about his native Claiborne County, Tennessee. His works  include: Speedwell sketches and Gravel in my shoe.

Winnie Palmer McDonald is the co-author of a history of Union County, Tennessee: Our Union County  heritage. It was the product of three years of research and hard work. The book features thousands of  names, pictures and accounts of events relating to Union County and the five surrounding counties.

In 1937 Dr. McMurtry became Director of the Department of Lincolniana in addition to teaching history.  He gathered one of the largest collection of literature pertaining to the Civil War period found in any  college or institution of higher learning. Dr. McMurtry was the former editor of the Lincoln Herald, still  published today. He has contributed to many magazines, books, pamphlets on the subject of Lincoln.  Some of his more important works are: Lincoln’s friend, Douglas, Lincoln’s other Mary and Lincoln’s  favorite poets.

A native of Caryville, TN Lena published her book, Schoolhouse in the foothills in 1935 under the pen  name of Ella Enslow. She has also published a book review and articles in the Saturday Evening Post.  She worked out of New York for the Save the Children Federation and went on lecture tours for the  National Lecture Bureau. Her professional career has been in teaching, writing and lecturing. 

Dr. Natanson authored a number of books on Philosophy, including Edmund Husserl, which won the  National Book Award in Philosophy and Religion. Some of his other books are: A critique of Jean-Paul  Sartre’s Ontology, the Social dynamics of George H Mead, Literature, Philosophy, and the social  sciences, the Journeying self, Phenomenology, Role and Reason, and numerous articles for journals and  periodicals.

Dr. Parker has received the “John Trotwood Moore Memorial Award” and has twice received the  “McClung Award” He has authored a number of publications including: Alchoa, Tennessee: the early  years 1919-1939; The Black community in a company town; The Philosophy of Charles G Finney: higher  law and revivalism; as well as articles of the City of Alchoa and entries in the Encyclopedia of East  Tennessee.

Gladys Trentham Russel grew up near Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park area. She  taught in Blount County, Tennessee high schools for 25 years. Her book, Call me hillbilly, has had  extraordinary sales all across the country and has gone into at least 5 printings.

George first published verse in the Sewanee Review and other literary magazines. His first book of  poetry, Tellico Bluewas followed by The course is upward, Summer so-called, and New and selected  poems. Among his honors are the Mary Rugeley Ferguson Poetry award in 1964, the Borestone  Mountain Award in 1961, and the Governor’s Outstanding Tennessean Award in Literature in 1978.  Scarbrough has appeared in several anthologies and magazines. 

Dr. Earl Hobson Smith became a legend in his own time. For 44 years he taught at LMU and favorably  influenced the lives of hundreds of students. Dr. Smith was a nationally known playwright penning such  plays as: Trail of the lonesome pine, The Stephen Foster Story, the Little shepherd of kingdom come, on  top of old smoky and other dramas. Shortly before his death in 1982 Dr. Smith wrote The genesis of  Lincoln Memorial university. 

Myrtle Smith taught at LMU for 35 years before her retirement as head of the college’s home economics  department. She wrote A Civil War cookbook, which was widely distributed and quite popular during the  Civil War Centennial observances of the 1960′s. 

Bernard Stallard was first published nationally at age 16 with a poem about Appalachians  in Youth magazine. While he was still in college his work appeared in Reveille, an anthology. He was the  first winner of the Ross Carter Memorial Award. In addition to publishing articles and poetry in various  magazines and periodicals he has published a book of sonnets, Appalachian Summer. In 1977 Stallard  wrote an outdoor drama, Cumberland Gap, which inspired a verse narrative, The Witch of Cumberland  Gap.

You will hear this name among prestigious literary circles when the literature of the Appalachian area is discussed. James Still had advocates such as poets Robert Frost and Robert Lowell. He received a special award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and he has won tow Guggenheim fellowships. Hound on the Mountain, a book of verse, received high critical acclaim.  Honors, too numerous to mention, have given Still a definite spot in the literature of Appalachia and the 

South. When his novel, River of Earth, was published, Time magazine called it “a work of art, ” saying that  “among other good qualities, Still has an invaluable attribute as a writer, a sense of what is fitting in the  best meaning of the word.” The late Harry Harrison Kroll, professor of English at LMU during the 1920′s,  and himself an author, said of James Still: “Although Still is not as prolific as some of the other writers of  the era, what his work may lack in quantity is made up for in quality.”

A literary giant! Nationally famous and internationally known and translated, poet-novelist Jesse Stuart has already become an American legend. His many honors and awards include a nomination for the  Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Out of the half-hundred books he has authored, three books alone: Man with a bull-tongue plow, The thread that runs true, and Taps for Private Tussie would have brought him lasting fame. A massive collection of poetry, novels, short stories, and articles ranks Stuart as one of the most prolific and beloved writers in American literature. Lincoln Memorial University, the people of Appalachia, for which he so articulately speaks, and the United States of America are proud of Jesse Stuart.

Dr. Suppiger was chair of the Humanities Division of LMU from 1973 until the 1980s. He was also editor in chief of the Lincoln Herald from 1977 until he left the university. Dr. Suppiger published over 2 dozen articles in various publications. He also wrote Phoenix of the Mountains, which is by far the finest and most definitive history of LMU written.

While on the faculty at LMU Dr. Mae Walker edited The Lincolnette, an award-winning quarterly, for four years. The Lincolnette was issued in 1500 copies and went into most states and several foreign countries. She was also on the editorial staff of The Journal of Business Education, with 2 columns for 26  years. Ms. Walker’s publications include Reflections, Gaylord, and Beyond the Misty Blue Hills. Dr. Walker is a member of the National League of American Penwomen and has appeared in several Who’s  Whos. 

Minister, teacher, labor organizer through a career which spans five decades, Don West speaks through his poetry for pride, civil rights, and Appalachia. His first book of poems, Clods of Southern Earth, sold more than any other book of poetry in US history except Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. In 1964, West and his artist wife, Constance, founded the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, West Virginia.  This is an Appalachian studies center with its purpose and program being to help develop understanding among Appalachian natives of their cultural heritage. A mountaineer and a native of Georgia, Don West has taken his work to Harvard and Yale universities and many other colleges throughout the nation,  presenting a true picture of his people and his land–mountaineers instead of hillbillies, progressive in tradition, working for a better future. 

He received his BA in history from LMU, and his MA in Latin -American history and his PhD in American  Civilization from New York University. He is the co-editor of the book American Issues, in two volumes.  He is also the author of numerous reviews and articles. Dr. Dowling joined the Lehigh University faculty in  1958.

Helen Parker first taught school in a one-room house in Campbell County, TN. She has written several books, including In Helen’s Kitchen, Fruitful Years and Word Wealth.

Dennis Nordin has authored 5 books in the history discipline: Rich harvest: a history of the Grange, 1867- 1900; A Revisionist interpretation of the patrons of husbandry, 1867-1900; Historian; A preliminary list of references for the history of the Granger movement; Graduate studies in American agricultural history,  Agricultural history, and Frank Burkett. He has received the George Hammond Authors Award and the  US Information Agency Book Selection Award. A magna cum laude graduate from LMU, Dr. Nordin received his MA and PhD in history from Mississippi State University. 

“Ted” Tindell has had a long and distinguished career as a writer, editor, journalist, and cartoonist. He has  published numerous articles including a series on East Tennessee history as well as 2 books: Blount  County — communities we live in and The best of Judge Blount.

James Bellamy received an MA from the University of Tennessee and went on to become assistant  principal and them principal of Farragut high school. He wrote The political career of Landon Carter  Hayes . He has also contributed a number of articles in magazines and encyclopedias.

A noted poet and author, Dr. Taylor has poems in several journals and anthologies. He has also written several articles and reviews. Dr. Taylor has four chapbooks of poems: Man in the Wild, Down here with Aphrodite, Devoirs to Florida, 20 against Apocalypse, and 3 plays. He also published a textbook: A  Short Guide to reading and Writing Poetry.

Mrs. Johnson received her AB in English in 1934 from LMU, where she began her career in the literary field. She devoted her life to teaching English in the Wilkes County Schools System. She wrote an autobiography, My Place in the Sun, and a biography titled Dearly Beloved. She also created an extensive travelogue entitled My Travel in the Holy Lands. 

Mrs. Turner is a native of Lee County, Virginia, and taught in public schools until 1959. She has written many articles and short stories for the Carson-Newman Faculty Studies and the Encyclopedia of East  Tennessee. 

While William was a student at LMU, he was the director of the Lincoln Room and started the Hall of  Holography. William McHenry is the author of a widely used book, The Apprentice’s Job in painting and decorating. He also wrote a historical drama, Oh, Shenandoah, as well as a nationally syndicated column that ran in 45 newspapers. He wrote 2 locally syndicated columns: Adventures in Living and Retired Teacher. Mr. McHenry is also a skilled maker of dulcimers, and LMU now has four instruments which he designed and crafted.

Aurelia Cate Dawson taught in Sevier County, Tennessee, schools and in Seaford Middle School for four decades. She wrote Tennessee Kingsmen, an entertaining and informative book about her relatives in Dumplin Valley, Tennessee.

Bonnie Page was born in Speedwell, TN. She grew up in that Powell Valley community. In 1940, she graduated with an BA in history; she went on to teach in the Anderson County schools for 32 years.  Bonnie collects historic information which resulted in 2 books: Pruden as we remember it, and Speedwell  through 200 years. 

LMU was home for Sidney Rice for over 20 years; he was born on the LMU campus. Dr. Rice was an outstanding educator, respected and recognized by all in his field. He was chairman of the Department of  Physical Education here at LMU, as well as at Centenary College and East Tennessee State University. He authored 15 articles dealing with health and physical education, published in numerous professional journals. 

Dr. Waver might be called a classical rhetorician. He applied his discipline to a wide range of concerns:  literary criticism, social/intellectual history, and the state of contemporary culture. After graduating from  LMU, he went on to the University of Kentucky and then Vanderbilt University. Dr. Weaver taught at  Vanderbilt, Auburn, Texas A&M, and the University of Chicago. His works include: Ideas have consequences, The ethics of rhetoric, Visions of order, Life without prejudice, and many others.

Dr. Lycan came to LMU from Louisa, KY; he did many jobs on campus to help pay his expenses. He went  on to earn his MA and PhD from Yale University. In 1983 he completed a history of Stetson titled, Stetson  University: The first hundred years. He also authored: Alexander Hamilton and American foreign  policy and Twelve major turning points in American history as well as some other minor pieces.

Dr. Frick is the son of Dr. T A Frick who was head of the science department and dean of the university for many years. Dr. Willard Frick teaches psychology as well as running a part time practice. He has written several books, including Counseling for the liberal arts campus and Personality theories:  journeys into self. Humanistic psychology: interviews with Maslow, Murphy, and Rogers, which has been translated into many other languages. 

Norman Collins, an educator, historian, author, and linguist, was a 1960 graduate of LMU, where he received a BA in English and Spanish. He received his MA in Spanish and English from the University of  Tennessee. He was also a Stokley Fellow in Humanities in 1983. Mr. Collins has published several historical studies, including From Hearth and Hoe and Union county 1910-1940. He has also written a  series of articles for the Union County Times.

Dr. Edwards comes from a family of teachers and writers. After earning an MA and PhD from the University of Tennessee he served as principal of Rutledge High School, taught at the University of Chattanooga,  Cumberland College, and was Dean at Rio Grande College in Ohio. Dr. Edwards has published numerous articles in the Adult Leadership Magazine, Adult Education Quarterly, and Pupil Personnel  Journal. He is the author of several books, including: Hill’s a-callin, In home spun verse, and Profiles of common men. 

Clifford Egan as published two books: Essays in twentieth century diplomatic history and Neither peace  nor war: Franco-American relations, 1803-1882. Dr. Egan has authored twenty articles for professional  journals and fifty book reviews. He received his MA from the University of Colorado. He is a Fulbright  nominee for lectureship in the Soviet Union, 1983-1984.

Lois, of Sevierville, TN, has published four books, including: I’ll cry tomorrow and Life can be beautiful. Her books touch on the subject of death, the adjustments which must be made, and the conviction that life must and does go on beautifully even after such adversity intrudes upon our lives.

Listed in several Who’s Who and directories of scholars, Thomas Wetmore has given new meaning to the English language through his writing and promotion of English textbooks and periodicals. He has served on several Associations and Committees that promoted, studied, and served the English language and the most precise way of teaching it. Some of his written works include: Low-back and low-central vowels in English, New Approaches to language and composition, and Building a better English.

Joy taught English and French at Campbell County, TN High School. She also taught a class in  Appalachian Studies. Mrs. Davis co-authored with Dr. Lawrence Edwars, Old Speedwell Families and its’  revised second edition.

Mr. Bonawit flew for Eastern Air Lines for sixteen years. After being grounded by a heart attack, Oby continued his usefulness to the airline for another ten years by instructing other pilots in aircraft simulators. In 1970, he published the Book of Bonawitz and Bonewitz an account of his immigrant ancestor  Adam Bonawitz. He also published Miami, Florida: Early Families and Records while he was treasurer for the Genealogical Society of Greater Miami. 

A native of Kingsport, TN, Hobbs was named an “Outstanding Young Man in America” in 1970. He  published My Country’s burden as well as a series of five Lenten plays, first presented in 1983, as well as  a series of religious mini-dramas produced in Marietta, Georgia

A retired Methodist minister, George spent most of his life studying and teaching the word of God to the people of Tennessee. He pastored and attended LMU at the same time, He graduated in 1926 as class Salutatorian. As an ordained Elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church he holds a Doctor of Divinity degree. His autobiography, The keeper of the springs, reminiscences of his fifty fife years in the ministry.

Dr. Edds was a lifelong resident of Claiborne County, where he worked to enhance the learning experience of the local people. His teaching career began as a high school teacher in 1924 and ended in  1962, where he retired as a professor of Psychology at LMU. His literary accomplishments include: The reliability of the Cross-English Test. He also wrote several articles in the Journal of Educational  Research and the Journal of Experimental Educational Research in Genetics. Poetry, fish tales and reflections were published after his death.

Accomplished novelist, historian, and poet, Dr. Lay has been a lifelong resident of the Tri-State Area. His career has been a continuous devotion to educating others in history. He has several publications, including 4 novels such as That reek of sin and Trek to the King’s mountain; a book of poetry, Long Island  of the Holston, and a historical account, An industrial and commercial history of the Tri-Cities in  Tennessee-Virginia. Dr. Lay served as Deacon of the First Baptist Church for many years. He was also an  Alderman and Vice Mayor for two years. Dr. Lay also received the distinguished “Service Award in  Education”. 

Virginia Fletcher received her BS in 1950 from LMU. She received her MS in Educational Psychology from Florida Atlantic University. Her book Down in the Barns is an account of the Keck family of Claiborne  County, TN. 

Mr. Turpin was employed by Armco Steel for 41 years. He assisted in forming Project Concern, Inc. with his son, Dr. James Westley Turpin. Project Concern is a medical outreach program that has reached into many areas of the world and has attained a high degree of success in combating illness, malnutrition, and ignorance. Mr. Turpin wrote God as man and man as God in 1980 as a statement of personal faith and devotion.