Published: April 27, 2009 08:27 am      

Public celebration to honor Jones and Weatherford

BEREA — A celebration at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at Berea College will honor Loyal Jones and the late Willis D. Weatherford as part of the renaming of two college centers after them.

In addition to unveiling of plaques recognizing the honorees, a program will feature entertainment by Billy Edd Wheeler, Lee Morris, the Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble and remarks by Loyal Jones and Anne (Mrs. Willis D.) Weatherford. The event is free and the public is invited.

An enjoyable program is planned that features individuals and groups who have been connected with the Appalachian Center and the Campus Christian Center at Berea College.

Billy Edd Wheeler, a 1955 graduate of Berea College, is nationally known as the author of songs such as “Jackson,” “The Rev. Mr. Black,” “The Coming of the Roads,” “Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back,” and “Coward of the County,” which was made into a movie.

Wheeler also is an accomplished singer, musician and playwright, who has authored a dozen plays, including four outdoor dramas, that include the long-running “Hatfields & McCoys” at Beckley, W.Va., and “Young Abe Lincoln” at Lincoln City, Ind. Wheeler also has authored several books of humor, including “Laughter In Appalachia,” now in its 13th printing, which he co-authored with Loyal Jones.

Other performers on the program include Lee Morris, who will provide some “preachments.” Morris was a Berea College campus minister from 1979-2000. Al White and the Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble will perform a number of musical selections.

The event will take place on the college campus on the lawn between Union Church and James Hall. (In case of rain, the event will be held inside at Union Church.) Following the program, a reception with light refreshments will be hosted on the lawn to provide an opportunity for attendees to greet the Jones and Weatherford families.

The event recognizes Willis D. Weatherford, former Berea College president, and Loyal Jones, renowned Appalachian scholar, both of whom now will have their names attached to programmatic centers with which they were closely associated. Earlier this academic year, the Berea College Board of Trustees adopted resolutions 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.

Dr. Willis D. Weatherford Jr. was the sixth president of Berea College, serving from 1967-1984. 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, Dr. Weatherford 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.

Loyal 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 Appalachian Center for 23 years, Jones retired from Berea College in 1993, but continues to be a well-recognized speaker and champion of Appalachian humor and values. His just published book is “Country Music Humorists and Comedians” from the University of Illinois Press.

Berea, the South’s first interracial and coeducational college, focuses on learning, labor, and service. Berea charges no tuition, admitting only academically promising students, primarily from Appalachia, who have limited economic resources.