Newspaper Page Text
Volume XLIX
Ittprttr Cluster
MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA, MAY 24, 1968
Number 21
Honorary Degrees To Be Awarded
During Commencement Exercises
Mercer University will award
tur honorary degrees at com-
•encement exercises Sunday, June
at 6 p.m. on the campus quad-,
ingle.
Doctor of Laws degrees will be
inferred upon Dr. Charles Fran
el, professor of philosophy at Co
nnbia University and presently on
ive at the Aspen (Col). Institute
1 Humanistic Studies, and Mrs.
lugene William Stetson of New
fork City.
Doctor of Divinity degrees will
e conferred upon Dr. Robert Jack
in Robinson, pastor of the First
laptist Church, Augusta, and the
leverend Mr. William Rorrest La
ier, pastor of the First Baptist
hurch, Savannah
Dr. Rufus Carrollton Harris,
resident of the university who to-
sy when making the announce-
nt concerning the degrees, said
. Frankel will deliver the com-
se? cement address to 323 gradua-
ing seniors. Dr. Robinson will
reach the university baccalaureate
irmon at 10:30 am the same day
the Mercer chapel, and the Rave,
md Mr. Lanier will preach the
lissionary sermon that evening for
be closing exercises of the univer
ity's denominational (Baptist) Ex-
rnsion program.
Dr. Frankel is a distinguished
ducator and author who is being
onored for his service in the fields
I American and international edu-
ition and cultural affairs
He has served on the faculty of
Columbia University since 1939,
ad aa professor of philosophy since
166. He was host of the CBS tele-
ision program "The World of
i” in 1969 and from 1960 to
166 was chief consulting editor for
Current” magazine. He is on leave
its year for advanced study at the
•pen Institute.
Co-chairman of the National As-
mbly for Teaching Principles of
* Bill of Rights since 1962, Dr.
rank el is also on the Board of
trectoni of the New York State
hril liberties Union. He is a for-
ar Assistant Secretary of State in
targe of International Education
id Cultural Affairs.
Dr. Frankel was a Guggenheim
bllow and FVilbright research pre
ssor at the University of Paris
1963-64. He is author of “The
nth of Reason” (1948). “The Case
for Modern Man" (1966), “The
Democratic Prospect” (1962), “The
Neglected Aspect of Foreign Affairs
and Other Essays” (1966) and
other books. He is in Paris until
May 20th as a member of a UNES
CO symposium.
Mrs. Stetson will receive the Doc
tor of Laws degree in recognition of
her support and interest in Chris
tian education. The construction of
the Eugene W. Stetson Memorial
Library at Mercer was made possi
ble by a gift of more than $1 mil
lion from Mrs. Stetson and child
ren of the late Mr. Stetson, a Mer-
cerian and financier.
She is a member of the Metro
politan Opera Council, the Wo
men's Advisory Committee of the
New York Botanical Gardens, the
Colony Club of New York City, and
4 a Fellow for Life of the Metro
politan Museum of Art
A native of Macon, Mrs. Stetson
has served several terms on the
board of the National Society of
Colonial Dames in the State of
New York. In 1966 she was invested
by the Queen of England an Asso
ciate Officer (Sister) in the Order
of the Hospital of St. John of Jeru
salem. The investiture took place
in the Cathedral of St John the
Divine in London.
Dr. Robinson is being recognized
for his accomplishments as a minis
ter and as pastor of historic First
Baptist Church in Augusta where
the Southern Baptist Convention
was organized in 1846.
An originator of the Fellowship
of Christian Athletes, Dr. Robinson
was an All-American basketball
player (1946-48) while at Baylor
University, and was a member of
the 1948 U. S. Olympic basketball
team.
Dr. Robinson has addressed the
Baptist World Alliance in Cleve
land and the Baptist World Alli
ance Youth Congress in Rio de
Janerio. He has preached in more
than 1,000 churches in the United
States in the past 20 years. A for
mer chairman of the Southern Bap
tist Convention's Radio-Television
Committee, he presently serves on
the Executive Committee of the
SBC and the Georgia Baptist Con
vention.
The Reverend Mr. Lanier has
had a successful pastorate at the
First Baptist Church of Savannah
since 1962. Prior to that time, he
was pastor of the First Baptist
Church at Rome which during his
tenure erected a $1 million sanc
tuary and increased the budget
from $27,000 to $188,000
A 1947 graduate of Mercer, the
Reverend Mr. Lanier was presi
dent of the Student Government
and of Blue Key national honorary
fraternity during his undergraduate
days. He graduated from Southern
Baptist Seminary in 1950. and ac
cepted a call to the Rome church at
that time.
In 1960 the Reverend Mr. Lanier
resigned the Rome pastorate for
two years of graduate study at the
University of Heidelberg and the
University of Edinburgh. A former
trustee of Shorter College, he has
served two terms on the Executive
Committee of the Georgia Baptist
Convention and has been a mem
ber of its Administration Commit
tee.
Dr. Harris
President Harris Addresses Alumni,
Speaks About the University Crisis
Mercer must have adequate financing, “It should not be
permitted to die. It should have the blood for life and strength
to go ahead.” These words were sounded by Mercer University
President Dr. Rufus Harris at the annual Alumni meeting.
Gathering in Willingham Chapel
the alumni listened to Dr. Harris
express his feelings concerning the
present crisis of the university. He
said, “I don’t see how we can af
ford to sit by and see this great
institution dwindle away.” He
called for a doubling of the pre
sent $150,000 given Mercer for op
erating purposes annually by the
Georgia Baptist Convention.
Student tuition has been in
creased to the limit. Dr. Harris
said, and other methods of finan
cing must be found. The Georgia
Baptist Convention will not ap
prove of the university’s accept
ing federal aid in the form of loans
or grants. Many wealthy people
and foundations will not give to
Mercer unless the university takes
advantage of federal monies that
are available, Dr. Harris contin
ued
The meeting went on with James
Gilbert of Brunswick reporting
that $106,547 was given to Mercer
from 1,215 alumni during the year.
He stated this represents a 22 per
cent in the number of alumni giv
ing.
Presented Awards of Merit in
recognition of service to the Alum
ni Association were William Har
grove Jr. of Milledgeville, Jeff D.
Pace of Atlanta, Thomas M. Mor
gan of Columbus and John F.
Schindler of Marietta.
Miss Lois McKethan, alumni di
rector who presented the awards.
said that Morgan, a member of the
class of 1917, was the first person
in the 137-year history of the uni
versity to receive the award twice.
Elected officers of the associa
tion for the coming year were Gil
bert of Brunswick, president; Len-
nie Davis of Columbus, president
elect: Jarties B. Heirs of Atlanta,
vice president; Miss Frances Floyd
of Macon, secretary; and J. Fred
Carson of Macon, treasurer.
Lawrence E. Willet of Atlanta
was recognized in a citation from
Who’s Who in America for educa
tional philanthropy in the form of
"substantial gifts to Mercer Uni
versity".
The citation read in part, “125
years of family connections and
interest in the history of a particu
lar college is represented in the
gift of $400,000 by Mr. Lawrence
E. Willett of Atlanta to Mercer
University.” Mr. Willett is the
great-grandson of Billington M.
Sanders, first president of Mercer
Institute.
Mrs. Joseph M. Popper Jr. of
Macon, acting president of the
Alumni Association, presided over
the annual meeting.
Members of the faculty who are
retiring at (he end of the year were
recognized. Miss Corinne Byrd was
honored for 23 years of teaching
in the Modern Foreign Language
Department. Members of Kappa
Alpha fraternity, which she has
sponsored sang their sweetheart
song to her
Miss Lousie Brown was recog
nized for 22 years service as dean
of women, registrar and teacher of
psychology.
Honored for length of service,
but not on the occasion of retire
ment, was Miss Frances Floyd who
has been associated with the Alum
ni Association 25 years.
Two Appointments Made
For Speech and Drama
Two appointments to the Speech and Drama Department,
a traditionally strong area of instruction at Mercer University,
were announced today.
President Rufus Carrollton Har
ris has appointed Mrs. (Terre Gwin
Price of Gadsden, Alabama, in
structor in speech and director of
the debate program. Luther Ed
mond Williams of Columbus was
appointed instructor in speech and
drama. He was named director of
the theatre.
Mrs. Price has had several years
experience teaching speech, debate
Choice ’68
Nixon Takes Top Spot On Campus
Mercer University students bel
ting in the national poll. Choice
6, showed a choice for Richard M.
bon as president and for a reduc-
•n of military action in Viet Nam.
A total of 647 students, repreaent-
4 29 percent of the enrollment in
4 College of Liberal Arts, voted
the collegiate presidential pri-
Ury sponsored by Time Magazine
Id UNIVAC Division of Sperry
fed.
Ninon received 198 votes aa first
bice for prealrtwt Senator Rob-
F. Kennedy polled 92 first
bice votes and Senator Eugene
kGarthy 71.
Former Governor George Wallace
received 41 first-choice votes. Gov
ernor Nelson Rockefeller 39 and
President Lyndon B. Johnson 36.
In file nation as a whole one mil
lion students in more than 1200
campuaee expressed a preference
for McCarthy with 285,968 first-
place votes. Kennedy was second
with 213332 and Nixon third with
197,167 first-place tallies.
At Mercer the second-place
choice for president went to Mc
Carthy with 92 votes. Governor
Ronald Reagan was second with
82. Nixon polled 76 and Rockefeller
74. Rockefeller was highest for
third choice with 89 vote#.
On the question of VM Nam
military action, 41.7 percent of the
students voting at Mercer believed
there should be a reduction. Thirty
percent were for an all-out effort,
11 percent were for withdrawal of
forces and 10 percent for an in
crease in military action.
The nationwide vote on this issue
was 18 percent for immediate with
drawal and 46 percent for reduc
tion of the milittary effort
Mercer students voting were 34
percent in favor of intensifying the
bombing of North Viet Nam. A
total of 26 percent were for suspen
sion of bombing, 16 percent for
maintaining the present amount and
only 14 percent for Basse ti an
On other campuses, 29 percent
chose cessation, 29 percent tempo
rary suspension, 26 percent inten
sification and 12 percent limitted
bombing.
To settle the urban crisis 39 per
cent of Mercer students thought
education should receive the high
est priority in government spend
ing while 34 percent chose job
training, 21 percent riot control and
6 percent better housing.
The choice in the nation was 40
percent for more education funds,
39 percent job training. 12 per
cent riot control and 6 percent
housing.
and dramatics. She is a graduate
of Randolph-Macnn Woman's Col
lege, Lynchburg, Virginia, and did
her graduate work in speech at
Florida State University and the
University of Alabama.
She attended FSU in the sum
mer of 1966 as an appointee under
the National Defense Education
Act. She will be conferred the Mas
ter of Arts degree in speech from
the University of Alabama this
year.
Mrs. Price was head of the
Speech Department ot Gadsden
(Ala) High Schol from I960 to
1967. She was a graduate assistant
in public speaking at the Univer
sity of Alabama this year.
While at Gadsden Mrs Price
was president of the Service
League. Mystery Ball Club, Nine
O’clock Club and was a member
of the Bal d’Or Club. She holds a
private pilot's license and was a
member of the Gadsdei Aero Pi
lots Club.
Williams received the Bachelor
of Arts from the University of Ala
bama in 1967 and the Master of
Arts in theatre this year from Ala
bama.
During this year at the univer
sity Williams has beginning act
ing. advanced acting, introduction
to the theatre and diction.