Endowed Lecture and Arts Series
Huntingdon College offers five lecture and performing arts series established through endowment contributions made by generous College benefactors. The following lectureships and performing arts series have featured dozens of well-known speakers, writers, and performers.
The Chapman Benson Lecture Series
| Date | Author | Writings |
|---|---|---|
| 2023, April 13 | Dr. Tim Tyson | Civil rights historian and writer Dr. Tim Tyson, senior research scholar at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, adjunct professor of American studies at the University of North Carolina; author of “The Blood of Emmett Till” and “Blood Done Sign My Name,” among other volumes. The Chapman-Benson and Ellison Lectureships combined for this event. |
| 2020, September 3 | Dr. Brent Strawn | “Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament”, Prof. of Old Testament Studies at Duke University |
| 2019, January 6 | Dr. Paul Chilcote | Asbury Theological Seminary |
| 2015, March 2 | Dr. Ellen Davis, “The Things that Make for Peace: Inter-religious Theological Conversation” | Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School |
| 2005, May 1 | Dr. Harold W. Attridge, “Truth or Fiction in the Da Vinci Code” (event combined with Stallworth Lecture) | Dean of Yale Divinity School |
| 2004, March 4 | Dr. Keith Meador, “Spirituality and Health in a Therapeutic Culture” | Professor, Duke Divinity School |
Elizabeth Belcher Cheek Concert Series
The Elizabeth Belcher Cheek Concert Series was endowed in memory of his late wife by Mr. Ben F. Cheek III and his children in 2001. The series has served as a lasting tribute to the former Elizabeth Belcher, who attended Huntingdon College from 1955 through 1957 and then completed her degree at Emory University, where she met her husband.
Beautiful music gave Elizabeth great joy—especially beautiful piano music—so the family purchased for the College a Steinway grand piano, upon which each of the pianists in the series has performed.
| Date | Concert |
|---|---|
| 2016, November 17 | Anderson & Roe |
| 2016, April 5 | Vadim Serebryany with Delyana Lazarova (Violin), Natalie Helm (Cello), and Zakaria Enikeev (Viola) |
| 2015, April 29 | Vadim Serebryany |
| 2014, September 22 | American String Quartet and Vadim Serebryany |
| 2014, March 3 | Thomas Pandolfi |
| 2013, October 24 | Dennis Herrick and Vadim Serebryany, “Stolen Music” |
| 2013, April 16 | Vadim Serebryany, with members of the Montgomery Symphony |
| 2013, March 12 | Dennis Herrick, “Trumpet, et al” |
| 2012, October 2 | The Cavell Trio, Shelly Megginson, oboe; Jenny Mann, bassoon; Osiris Molina, clarinet |
| 2012, September 20 | Vadim Serebryany and Dennis Herrick, “Brought to You by the Letter P,” featuring the works of Alexandra Pakhmutova, Anthony Plog, Amilcare Ponchielli, and Henry Purcell |
| 2012, March 15 | Dennis Herrick and Alabama State University faculty musicians |
| 2012, January 22 | Vadim Serebryany with Trio +, Yosuke Kawasaki, Wolfram Koessel, Osiris Molina |
| 2011, November 29 | Vadim Serebryany |
| 2011, September 22 | Dennis Herrick, Vadim Serebryany |
| 2011, April 19 | Vadim Serebryany |
| 2011, March 17 | Dennis Herrick, Vadim Serebryany, Carly Johnson, Brenda Luchsinger; Doug Bristol (Trumpet et al) |
| 2011, March 8 | Pedro Luis Mayor, Matthew DeVine, Rob Alley; jazz renditions of favorite hymns |
| 2011, January 17 | Trio + |
| 2010, December 5 | Vadim Serebryany, Beethoven’s Diabelli Series |
| 2010, April 20 | Evgeni Bozhanov, 13th Van Cliburn competition gold medalist |
| 2010, March 14 | Vadim Serebryany with Tiffany Nishibun ’04, “Music and Memory: Works by Betthoven and Schumann” |
| 2010, February 7 | Dennis Herrick, Vadim Serebryany, “Trumpet et al” with Carly Johnson, Liana Fourdija, Dan Totan, Barbara Blummers, Dawn Heese, and soprano Tiffany Nishibun ’04 |
| 2009, November 15 | Vadim Serebryany, “Lateness in Music” |
| 2009, September 15 | Dennis Herrick and Vadim Serebryany, trumpet concertos from Russia, Germany, and France |
| 2009, April 2 | Vadim Serebryany with Dennis Herrick |
| 2009, February 22 | Vadim Serebryany with Trio + |
| 2008, April 20 | Alexander Kobrin, 12th Van Cliburn Gold Medalist |
| 2007, March 11 | Roberto Plano |
| 2007, January 21 | Christopher Thompson, violin, and Michael Gurt, piano |
| 2006, April 30 | Sa Chen, 2005 Van Cliburn Crystal Award Winner |
| 2005, April 17 | Stanislov Ioudenitch, 2001 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist |
| 2004, March 16 | Maxim Philippov, 2001 Van Cliburn Silver Medalist |
| 2003, April 29 | Yakov Kasman, 1997 Van Cliburn Silver Medalist |
| 2003, February 25 | The Blair String Quartet with Dr. Ronald Shinn |
Dr. Rhoda Coleman Ellison Lecture Series
In 1964, Dr. Rhoda Coleman Ellison, then chair of the English Department, endowed a fund to bring creative writers of regional and national distinction to Huntingdon College. Ellison lecturers meet with students, conduct workshops, and give public readings. Huntingdon College remains grateful for Dr. Ellison’s generous gift, which makes this program possible.
| Date: | Author: | Writings: |
|---|---|---|
| 2023, April 13 | Dr. Tim Tyson | Civil rights historian and writer Dr. Tim Tyson, senior research scholar at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, adjunct professor of American studies at the University of North Carolina; author of “The Blood of Emmett Till” and “Blood Done Sign My Name,” among other volumes. The Chapman-Benson and Ellison Lectureships combined for this event. |
| 2022, March 9 (Virtual) | Jerry Craft | Graphic novelist, author of “New Kid” and “Class Act” |
| 2021, February 24 (Virtual) | Ashley Jones | Poet, “Magic City Gospel,” “REPARATIONS NOW!” and “dark // thing;” later named Poet Laureate for the state of Alabama |
| 2019, September 26 | Amy Gentry | “Finding the Body: On Motherhood and Crime Writing in a Post #MeToo World”; author of suspense novels, “Good as Gone,” and “Last Woman Standing” |
| 2018, February 22 | Frank X. Walker | Poet, first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate; author of 11 collections of poetry |
| 2017, February 16 | Jen Bervin | Poet and interdisciplinary artist, author of “Sweet Nothings: Emily Dickinson’s Envelope Poems,” “Silk Poems,” and “Nets,” among many other works |
| 2016, April 20 | Katherine Clark | Novelist: “The Headmaster’s Darlings,” “All the Governor’s Men,” “The Harvard Bride,” “The Ex-Suicide;” biographer: “Milking the Moon” (with Eugene Walter), “My Exaggerated Life,” (with Pat Conroy), and “Motherwit,” with Onnie Lee Logan (the Loeb Lecture and the Ellison Lecture were combined for this event.) |
| 2015, April 9 | Jennifer Horne | Short story collections exploring Southern women’s identity, “Tell the World You’re a Wildflower,” “Bottle Tree,” and “Working the Dirt” |
| 2013, April 7 | Nancy Huddleston Packer | Author of numerous volumes, including the nonfiction, “Writing Worth Reading,” and “In My Father’s House: Tales of an Unconformable Man;” short story collections, “Old Ladies: Stories,” “The Women Who Walk,” and “Jealous-Hearted Me” (the Loeb Lecture and the Ellison Lecture were combined for this event.) |
| 2012, October 4 | Brian Turner | Poet, “Here, Bullet” and “Phantom Noise” |
| 2011, October 20 | Richard Tillinghast | Author of eight poetry collections and three works of nonfiction, including “Sewanee Poems”; “Finding Ireland”’ “The Stonecutter’s Hand” |
| 2010, September 20 | Joan McBreen | Irish poet; “The Wind Beyond the Wall”; “A Walled Garden in Moylough;” “Winter in the Eye – New and Selected Poems;” Heather Island” |
| 2010, February 18 | Brad Watson | “Last Days of the Dog-Men;” “Heaven of Mercury;” and “Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives” |
| 2008, November 6 | Trudier Harris | American literary historian/scholar; co-editor of “The Oxford Companion to African American Literature,” “Call and Response: The Riverside Anthology of the African American Literary Tradition,” and “The Literature of the American South: A Norton Anthology,” and |
| 2008, February 28 | Mark Childress | Novelist, “A World Made of Fire;” “V For Victor;” “Tender;” Crazy in Alabama;” “Gone for Good;” and “One Mississipp.” |
| 2006, November 2 | Natasha Trethewey | Poet, “Native Guard”; “Domestic Work”; “Bellocq’s Ophelia” (2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry; named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2012 and 2013) |
| 2005, November 3 | Tom Franklin | Author of the novels “Poachers” and “Hell at The Breech” |
| 2004, November 11 | Honoree Jeffers & Hank Lazer, “The Other South” | Poets/educators |
| 2003, November 13 | Andrew Hudgins (Huntingdon Class of 1973), Joel Brouwer, Jim Murphy, Juliana Vice | Poets/educators |
| 2003, May 6 | William Least Heat-Moon | American travel writer and historian, “Blue Highways,” “PrairieErth,” and “River Horse” |
| 2002, February 13 | Dr. Mable Massey (Mab) Segrest (Huntingdon Class of 1971) | Feminist and anti-racist writer, “Memoir of a Race Traitor” and numerous other writings |
| 2000, April 27 | Thomas Rabbitt | Poet, “Enemies of the State”; “Exile” |
| 1998, October 23 | Eavan Boland | Poet, “The Lost Land: The Poetry of Eavan Boland” |
| 1997, November 5 | Joy Harjo | Poet, “The Woman Who Fell from The Sky” |
| 1990* | Andrew Hudgins ’73 | Poet, author of numerous volumes of poetry |
| 1986* | Jane Smiley | Novelist, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 |
| 1980* | Andrew Hudgins ’73 | Poet, author of numerous volumes of poetry |
| 1979* | Donald Hall | Author of more than 50 books, including children’s literature, poetry, biography, memoir, and essays; 2006 U.S. Poet Laureate |
| 1978* | James Seay | Poet |
| 1977* | Donald Justice | Poet, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1980 |
| 1976* | Wilma Dykeman | American writer of fiction and nonfiction whose works chronicled the people and culture of Appalachia |
| 1975* | Wendell Berry | Novelist, poet, essayist; winner of the National Humanities Medal in 2010 |
The Marsha and Tom Moore Endowed Distinguished Lectureship on Equity, Justice, and Peace
Huntingdon College held the inaugural event of the Marsha and Tom Moore Endowed Distinguished Lectureship on Equity, Justice, and Peace, Monday, September 26, 2022. Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of the book, “Just Mercy,” was the lecture series’ first speaker. Mr. Stevenson led the creation of the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. He is a professor of law at New York University School of Law.
“I think the level of prestige this series will hold is evident by the naming of the first speaker,” said Huntingdon President J. Cameron West. “Bryan Stevenson is one of the most sought-after speakers in the world today, and I believe it is fair to say no one has had a more transformational influence in the city of Montgomery or in the higher conversation regarding equity, peace, and justice initiatives during the past 20 years than Bryan Stevenson.”
Mr. Stevenson spoke to a standing-room only crowd of Huntingdon students, faculty, staff, and trustees in the College’s Ligon Chapel. In his book, “Just Mercy,” Mr. Stevenson writes, “… there is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy.” During the lecture he urged listeners to become proximate with populations who are marginalized and who are frequently the victims of injustice and inequity; to change the narrative of how race and socioeconomic disadvantage are discussed; to venture into the uncomfortable because doing so develops empathy and understanding; to hold fast to hope that a better world will emerge; and to love those who might be looked upon as “others.”
The speaker series, to be offered every other year, was established by Dr. Tom Moore, Huntingdon Class of 1973, and his wife, Marsha Kirk Moore, Huntingdon Class of 1974. Both say they were led to establish the lectureship at Huntingdon because they met and fell in love at the College, and they are both deeply interested in peace, justice, and equity issues.
Dr. Moore is the retired chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate, where he served for nearly a decade, capping an academic career that spanned more than 40 years. Following completion of a doctorate in inorganic chemistry at the University of South Carolina, he joined the faculty at Georgia Southern College as assistant professor of chemistry, then moved to Birmingham-Southern College where he was an assistant and then associate professor and later became director of the Honors Program. He joined Winthrop University in 1986 as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics, then rose to the directorship of the Master of Liberal Arts program, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. He was named to the USC-Upstate chancellorship in 2011.
Marsha K. Moore has been heavily involved in the Spartanburg community through affiliation with non-profit organizations, including her church choir, Business and Professional Women, as chairperson of Women Giving for Spartanburg, and as chair of the development committee for Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas. She serves on the board for Mobile Meals, for which she runs a route delivering meals to those in need; and on the board of Women United, affiliated with the United Way. She formerly served on the board of visitors for Converse University.
The Stallworth Lectureship in the Liberal Arts
The Stallworth Lectureship in the Liberal Arts was established in 1985 by Mary Elizabeth Stallworth of Beatrice, Alabama, in honor of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John McCreary Stallworth, and her brother, John Morris Stallworth. The endowment provides funding for a series of visiting lecturers and scholars.
| Date | Lecturer |
|---|---|
| 2022, October 17 | Best-selling author Eric S. (Rick) Perlstein and Dr. Marcus Witcher, assistant professor of history at Huntingdon College, “Ronald Reagan and the Evolution of Conservatism, 1964–2022.” Mr. Perlstein is the author of “Before the Storm,” “Nixonland,” “The Invisible Bridge,” and “Reaganland,” among other books. Dr. Witcher is the co-author of “Black Liberation through the Marketplace” and author of “Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism.” |
| 2022, March 1 | J. Christopher Flowers, C.E.O., J.C. Flowers & Co.; Founder, J.C. Flowers Foundation; great grandson of John Jefferson Flowers, for whom Flowers Hall is named |
| 2021, March 25 | Catherine Coleman Flowers, “Sanitation Equity: Bridging the Divide,” author of “Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret” |
| 2018, May 5 | Dr. Ronald C. White Jr. (second appearance), “An Inadmissible Question,” author of “American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant,” “Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us about Our Greatest President,” and “A. Lincoln: A Biography,” among other books. (The Stallworth Lectureship was combined with the Commencement Address.) |
| 2017, May 6 | Kristen Soltis Anderson, “Civic Engagement: Millennial Power in a Boomer Nation,” author of “The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials are Leading America,” and commentator for various news agencies. (The Stallworth Lectureship was combined with the Commencement Address.) |
| 2016, February 25 | Dr. Grant Wacker, “Billy Graham and American Politics,” author of “America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation” |
| 2014, October 28 | Masha Hamilton, reporter, author, journalist; author of “The Camel Bookmobile: A Novel,” “31 Hours,” and “The Distance Between Us,” among other books |
| 2012, March 01 | Dr. John M. McCardell Jr., American historian and president emeritus, University of the South |
| 2011, March 15 | Andrew J. Bacevich, diplomatic and military historian and author, “The Limits of Power” |
| 2009, October 06 | Dr. Ronald C. White Jr., New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times author “A. Lincoln: A Biography;” program title “Abraham Lincoln’s Sermon on the Mount: The Second Inaugural Address” |
| 2008, September 23 | Jan Crawford Greenburg, ABC News legal correspondent and author, “Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court” |
| 2007, October 2 | Novelist Elizabeth Spencer, 2007 PEN/Malamud Award winner, “Readings on the Human Spirit” |
| 2007, February 22 | Doug Marlette, novelist and Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, “Free Speech in a Politically Correct Age” |
| 2006, February 28 | Dr. Carlos Eire, author “Waiting for Snow in Havana” (winner of the 2003 National Book Award), “Is Freedom a Luxury? Confessions of a Cuban Boy” |
| 2005, May 1 | Dr. Harold Attridge, “Truth or Fiction in the Da Vinci Code” (event combined with the Chapman Benson Lecture), Dean of Yale Divinity School |
| 2005, February 17 | Dr. Paul Sereno, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, “Dinosaurs on Drifting Continents” |
| 2004, February 13 | The Rev. Dr. Greg Jones, Dean, Duke Divinity School |
| 2004, January 22 | Dr. Dan Carter, Educational Foundation Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, author six works on politics, history, and the American South |
| 2003, January 30 | Janet Reno, America’s first female attorney general, “A Conversation with Janet Reno” |
| 2002, March 12 | Dr. Martin Marty, one of America’s foremost theologians and religious historians, “Fundamentalism: Around the World, Down the Block, and Dividing Our Minds” |
| 2000, October 2 | John Updike, author and Pulitzer Prize winner |
| 1999, April 8 | Dee Dee Myers, political editor of “Vanity Fair,” former White House Press Secretary |
| 1997, April 7 | Peter Schickele, renowned composer, musician, and satirist–creator of PDQ Bach, “A Musician’s Life” |
| 1996, April 22 | Jane Goodall, British ethologist and writer, author of “My Life with the Chimpanzees” and numerous other works |
| 1995, February 6 | Donald Johanson, American paleoanthropoligist who discovered “Lucy,” author of “Lucy: The Beginning of Humankind” |
| 1994, November 17-18 | Dr. John Horner, curator of paleontology at the Museum of Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, technical advisor for the movie Jurassic Park, “Concentration of Research on Dinosaurs” |
| 1992, November 19 | Karl Haas, pianist, conductor and host of National Public Radio’s classical music program, “Adventures in Good Music” |
| 1989 | Dr. Dan Carter, historian and author (Southern history), “Making Moral Choices in the ’80s – Reflections on the 60s;” “The South and the Constitution – States Rights’ Last Stand” |
| 1987, November 23-24 | Dr. Neville Richardson of South Africa’s University of Natal, “South Africa’s Cry and the World’s Response” |
| 1987, March 29-31 | Symposium: “Hope and Responsibility in a Nuclear Age.” Three speakers: Dr. Harvey H. Potthoff, Dr. Charles R. Chappell and Col. Daniel W. Wodstrchill **Back of brochure reads, in part: “…This academic year the college presents its first full program of four speakers, offering a variety of knowledge. Their expertise ranges from the literary world to health and fitness. They include David McCullough, author and television personality; Dr. Sharon Plowman, health and fitness authority; Clyde Edgerton, best-selling author; and Dr. Harvey Potthoff, theologian and author.” |
| 1986, November 20 | David McCullough, author, popular lecturer, teacher and television host of “Smithsonian World.” |
1986, December 5
| Dr. Sharon Ann Plowman, Professor in the Department of Physical Education at Northern Illinois University, noted author on health and fitness. |
1986, March 30
| Dr. Harvey H. Potthoff, leading United Methodist contemporary theologian, “The Quest for a Believable Theology in a Nuclear Age.” |
| 1986, April 22 | Clyde Edgerton, American novelist and short story writer, “Writing as a Craft” |
| 1985, October –FIRST LECTURE– | Thomas Anderson Langford of Duke University |
