Published: November 15, 2008 06:25 pm      

Berea trustees to honor Weatherford and Jones

BEREA — The Berea College Board of Trustees adopted resolutions to name two college centers after two individuals whose distinguished careers and notable accomplishments have earned such recognition.

Dr. Willis D. Weatherford Jr., former Berea College president, and Loyal Jones, renowned Appalachian scholar, will have their names attached to programmatic centers with which they were closely associated.

During the spring semester of 2009, ceremonies will be conducted at the college to rename the Campus Christian Center to the “Willis D. Weatherford, Jr. Campus Christian Center.” The Appalachian Center will be renamed the “Loyal Jones Appalachian Center.”

These centers reflect two of the college’s eight Great Commitments — to an inclusive Christianity and to the Appalachian region and culture. In adopting the resolutions, the Board of Trustees cited the exceptional accomplishments each individual had made in connection with these centers.

Weatherford was the sixth president of Berea College, serving from 1967 to 1984. Prior to his tenure as president, his work in Europe, Africa, India and Malaya on behalf of the American Friends Service Committee and other organizations had exemplified his commitment to Christian service. As president of Berea College, he envisioned the creation of the Campus Christian Center and his personal efforts were instrumental in securing the endowment funding for this program from the foundation of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Lilly in 1970.

The Campus Christian Center continues to serve as the most visible and tangible means by which the college fulfills the Christian commitment of its mission, integrating the spirit of that commitment throughout the entire college community.

Jones is a native son of Appalachia. He was born and grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina before attending Berea College. After graduating from Berea, Jones devoted his life to serving the Appalachian Region through his work with the Council of the Southern Mountains as well as his teaching and scholarship, which has documented the history and culture of the region through such important works as “Appalachian Values; Laughter in Appalachia,” “Bascom Lamar Lunsford: Minstrel to the Mountains,” “Faith and Meaning in the Southern Uplands” and many other publications and presentations pertaining to Appalachian culture, humor, music and religion.

When the Appalachian Center was created by Berea College in 1970, Jones was its founding director. The Appalachian Center was the first such program in the southern Appalachian region and prospered under his committed and extraordinary leadership. Jones was central to both the shaping of the Appalachian Center and the Appalachian Studies Program at Berea College. After serving as director of the center for 23 years, he retired from Berea College in 1993, but continues to be a well-recognized speaker and champion of Appalachian humor and values.

His recently published book is “Country Music Humorists and Comedians” from the University of Illinois Press.

Specific dates for the recognition and renaming ceremonies are pending.