Elon University today is nothing like the small college that first opened its doors in 1889. But a member of the 2003 graduating class has a special connection to Elon’s roots, spanning several generations and more than 100 years.
Will Duffy, a senior from Rock Hill, S.C., is the great-great-great grandson of Elon’s first president William S. Long, who served from 1889-1894 and was actively involved with the college until his death in 1924.
Duffy, whose mother, Janet, grew up in nearby Graham, N.C., says his parents encouraged him to consider Elon. As the first member of his family to attend Elon, Duffy became more intrigued with his link to the university’s history in January, when his grandfather, William Ward, Jr., discovered a long forgotten document in the attic of his Davidson, N.C., home. In surprisingly good shape, and stored in its original manila envelope, was a 20-page, handwritten document written by Long. Ward gave the document to Duffy, who went to work deciphering the graceful, yet difficult to read handwriting.
“My grandfather thought it was a traditional sermon,” said Duffy, whose English degree will include concentrations in literature and professional writing. “But as I began to read through parts of it, I noticed that this sermon was actually an address of some kind given to a graduating class in 1908.”
Through research in Elon’s Belk Library, Duffy learned that Long delivered the sermon at a baccalaureate service for the class of 1908, which consisted of seven students. Duffy transcribed the sermon, edited it and slightly rearranged the text so it would flow more smoothly. “What was interesting to me was how timeless his message is,” said Duffy. “Many of the things he felt were important 95 years ago are just as important today.”
Long wrote, “You are not your own. You owe yourselves to the world. Whatever birth, fortune or education may have (been) given you, society has a right to draw on it. You are not an isolated unit. Whether you like it or not you are as truly tributary to society as the hand or the foot or the eye to the body. You may refuse the tribute, and society may let you alone and pass you over: So much the worse for you. You will lose more than society will.”
Duffy wonders if Long would recognize today’s Elon, which has grown to an enrollment of 4,450 and will award approximately 900 undergraduate degrees at commencement exercises May 24. “It is interesting to think about what Long’s vision for Elon might have entailed,” Duffy says. He says he thinks Long would be proud of Elon’s growth and its emphasis on personal attention.
As he prepares to embark on a teaching career, Duffy is proud of his special Elon connection. “To think that this place has sprung up around what (Long) and a few people did is amazing.” And he is glad that a sermon written nearly a century ago found its way into his hands during his final semester at Elon. “I do feel like I have a piece of history that I can contribute to Elon. I very easily could have done nothing with the sermon, but because of it, I have a better stake in Elon’s history.
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