The first president of Elon College was honored for his dedication to the newly founded institution during a special March 11 College Coffee celebrating Founders Day.
William S. Long served as president of what was then Elon College
during the first five years of its existence. He also served as a
faculty member, teaching courses in various academic fields. He retired
in 1894 but his love for Elon persevered long after he left the
president’s office, said Elon University President Dr. Leo M. Lambert
during Tuesday’s ceremony in the Academic Village.
“He remained committed to the university for the rest of his life,” Lambert said.
After a 1923 fire decimated campus, Long offered to mortgage his house in Chapel Hill to begin the reconstruction effort.
As part of Tuesday’s celebration about 35 of Long’s descendants
gathered to celebrate their relative and the 119th anniversary of the
North Carolina General Assembly’s approval of the Elon College charter.
Long’s great-great-great grandson, William E. Duffy ’03, spoke of his
relative’s affection for Elon and its students. So great was his
devotion to education, that Long frequently arranged trades of goods
and livestock for families unable to pay tuition.
The spring semester of Duffy’s senior year at Elon, his grandfather,
Bill Ward, presented him with a 20-page, handwritten sermon composed by
William S. Long. As Duffy began to read the document, his eyes quickly
found the phrase “I give you, class of 1908.” The document was Long’s
original copy of his 1908 baccalaureate speech.
Duffy spent several days analyzing the antiquated script, and later
presented friends and family with bound copies of the speech at his own
graduation.
The address compels students to share their knowledge with the world,
and to do all within their power to share their gifts with others.
The Long Building and the William S. Long Professor of English seat
honor the first president’s contributions to Elon. As an additional
sign of recognition, Hayden and Margaret Beatty honored Mrs. Beatty’s
relative with an oak tree that was planted in the Academic Village.