Dr. J. Earl Danieley, 92, president emeritus of Elon University and one of North Carolina’s strongest advocates for higher education, died November 29 at the Village at Brookwood in Burlington, N.C.
> Click here for details of services in celebration of the life of President Emeritus Danieley.
“I struggle to find words that are adequate to describe the impact of Dr. Danieley’s life on Elon and the tens of thousands of students, faculty, staff and friends who loved him,” said Elon President Leo M. Lambert. “From his humble beginnings on a farm in Alamance County, he emerged as a brilliant man with a singular focus on education, expressed through a lifetime of work at his beloved alma mater. It is no exaggeration to say that Earl Danieley was a unique figure in American higher education.”
Earl Danieley was born in Alamance County, N.C., on July 28, 1924 and grew up on a farm not far from the Elon campus. After graduation from Altamahaw-Ossipee High School in 1941, he enrolled at Elon, earning his degree in chemistry in 1946. Later that year, Danieley joined the Elon faculty to teach chemistry, beginning a remarkable career that spanned 70 years.
> See a photo gallery of Dr. Danieley’s career at Elon: https://flic.kr/s/aHskMCKcu5
Danieley served as dean of the college before being named the sixth president of then-Elon College in 1957 at age 32, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the nation at the time. He guided the college to a new level of quality during his 16-year term, making improvements in academic standards and faculty credentials. His tenure marked a period of unprecedented growth in campus facilities, including Powell building, Long building, McEwen Library, Jordan Gym, Beck Pool, the president’s home and numerous residence halls.
He retired from the presidency in 1973 and returned to the classroom to teach. He served as director of planned giving from 1987 to 1992 before going back to his first love, teaching. He was widely regarded as one of Elon’s top teachers and was a mentor to many students. He retired from teaching last spring.
“I enjoy sharing knowledge and encouraging students to study,” Danieley once said. “If you can start with a student as a freshman who is uncertain and not really committed and watch that person become excited about learning, that is really satisfying.”
His commitment to good teaching is symbolized by the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching, Elon’s highest teaching honor. Danieley and his late wife, Verona, created the award in 1972 to honor their parents.
Education and government leaders in North Carolina turned to Danieley throughout his career for his insight and expertise on the subject of higher education. He served as an assistant to University of North Carolina system president C.D. Spangler from 1994 to 1996, with the special responsibility of representing the university system in the General Assembly. He was elected to the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors by the state senate in 1983, serving until 1995. Danieley was named to the board of trustees at East Carolina University by Gov. James Holshouser in 1973, serving until 1979.
Previous governors, including Terry Sanford, Dan Moore and Robert Scott, chose Danieley to serve on the Educational Facilities Commission of North Carolina, the Educational Commission of the States and the Legislative Student Commission on Student Financial Aid.
Danieley was president of several organizations, including the North Carolina College Conference, the Council of Church-Related Colleges of North Carolina, the North Carolina Foundation of Church-Related Colleges and the Piedmont University Center. He was also a member of the national Council on Higher Education of the United Church of Christ. In 1996, he received the Hugh McEniry Award from the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Universities for his distinguished leadership and service to higher education in the state.
He served on the board of directors for various organizations, including the Burlington-Alamance County Chamber of Commerce, Alamance County Hospital, Bank of Burlington, Northwestern Bank and First Union National Bank. He served as president of the Burlington Rotary Club and the United Fund of Alamance County.
Danieley was an active member of the Republican Party, serving on the Alamance County Board of Commissioners from 1974 to 1978. He served as secretary of the state Republican convention in 1971 and was an alternate delegate to the national Republican convention in New Orleans in 1988.
Danieley was a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians, serving as parliamentarian for groups such as the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ, the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Universities and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.
An active member of the Elon Community Church since 1948, Danieley served as a deacon from 1949 to 1991, was a long-time Sunday School teacher and a member of several church boards. He was moderator of the church for five terms. He served as president of the Congregational Christian Churches’ National Laymen’s Fellowship and chaired the United Church of Christ’s National Council for Lay Life and Work from 1961 to 1965.
Danieley was predeceased by his wife, Verona Danieley, who passed away in 2011. He is survived by three children: Ned Danieley (Linda), of Hillsborough, N.C.; Mark Danieley (Heidi), of Burlington, N.C.; and Jane Shutt (Mark), of Pineville, N.C.; his sister, Faye Danieley Conally (Tom), of Elon, N.C.; and seven grandchildren, Jonathan, Daniel and Michael Shutt, Robert and Sara Danieley, and Sean and Jason Pifer.
Memorial contributions in honor of President Danieley may be made to either the Danieley Scholarship Fund or the Daniels-Danieley Teaching Award at Elon University, c/o Office of University Advancement, 2600 Campus Box, Elon, NC 27244. You can make your memorial gift online at: https://connect.elon.edu/drdanieley.
SHARE YOUR MEMORIES OF PRESIDENT EMERITUS DANIELEY
All members of the Elon community are invited to share their personal memories of Dr. Danieley on a special website: http://blogs.elon.edu/uc/memories/