The buildings in The Oaks neighborhood were named in honor of four emeriti faculty in recognition for their service to the university.
****
Administrators and friends of the university gathered in the McCoy Commons patio under cloudy skies Friday morning for the dedication of four residence halls in The Oaks neighborhood.
The halls were named in honor of four of Elon’s most esteemed faculty members: Jo Watts Williams, John G. Sullivan, Janie P. Brown and the late Janie E. Council, who was represented at the ceremony by sons Chris and Doug.
“These are greats who built this institution,” Elon President Leo M. Lambert said of the honorees. “It is my privilege to name these buildings for four of Elon’s most gifted educators who helped shape the lives of generations of students.”
Described by Lambert as an invaluable resource to three university presidents and a “trusted friend,” Vice President Emerita and Professor of Education Emerita Jo Watts Williams ’55 devoted a lifetime of distinguished service to Elon and its students, first as an instructor in the departments of education and psychology and later as associate dean of academic affairs and director of the learning resource center.
Williams went on to serve with distinction for 16 years as vice president for development and special assistant to the president. She was named Elon’s Distinguished Alumna of the Year in 1995 and received the Elon Medallion for service to the university in 1998.
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy John G. Sullivan joined the Elon faculty in the Department of Philosophy in 1970 and was later named the Maude Sharpe Powell Professor, the first recipient of that endowed chair. He retired in 2006 after 36 years of service to the university but has since become one of the most popular presenters at Life@Elon, a lifelong learning institute the university offers for people aged 50 and older.
Sullivan received the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1980 and in 2002 was named Elon’s first Distinguished University Professor in recognition of his long record of excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. He received the Elon Medallion for service to the university in 2008.
A champion for female student-athletes, Professor Emerita of Physical Education Janie P. Brown retired in 2005 following 39 years at Elon, including more than 20 years of service as chair of Elon’s physical education department.
She was a trailblazer in helping to advance the university’s women’s athletics program. She received the Daniels-Danieley Award in 1995 and the Elon Medallion in 2006.
She also endowed the Dr. Janie P. Brown Women’s Athletic Scholarship and currently serves as president of the board of directors of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
The late Professor Janie E. Council taught accounting at Elon from 1960 to 1984 and was the first recipient of Elon’s Daniels-Danieley Award in 1973.
On seven occasions she was named Outstanding Professor of the Year by the Student Government Association, which named its award in her honor upon her retirement. Council died in 1992.
Friends and former students established the Janie E. Council Scholarship in her memory.