Challenges and Triumphs: Revisiting Judson's Past
- Category: Judson History
- Published Date
- Written by Audra Kennedy
- Hits: 28
“Hey! I didn’t know I kept this!”
I am really, really bad about throwing stuff into drawers with the intention of “going through it later.” Then, when I am tired of my desk drawers being a mess, I will go back through and rediscover a card, a letter, a picture, etc.Those are always really cool moments because those trips down memory lane are usually a fun time for me.
As a student, I had the opportunity to go through a few files on Milo P. Jewett with Ms. Andrea Abernathy, Judson’s librarian. For those of you who do not know, Milo P. Jewett is the founder and first president of Judson College. Ms. Andrea and I sifted through letters, pictures, and other assorted documents that were written by him or about him.
One thing that I discovered was a pamphlet sent out by Judson College during the Great Depression. The subject: Fund raising and Milo P. Jewett’s challenge.
Let me share an excerpt from that pamphlet.
In 1838 Milo P. Jewett issued a challenge.
It was a challenge to the friends of cultural Christian education to start a college in the hills of Western Alabama.
The pamphlet continues…
Judson College is a monument to that challenge.
Some of you might be wondering why starting a college in “The hills of Western Alabama” would be considered challenging.
Think about this:
Judson College survived the Civil War, which alone could have closed its doors forever; two fires; the Great Depression; and both World Wars. Those are just some of the big events I thought of—the list could keep going!
Did I mention that Judson not only survived but also maintained its status as a private, Christian college for women?
What a feat!
The pamphlet also states that Milo P. Jewett provided young women an “opportunity to acquire scholarship, culture, and character.”
I want to tell you that almost 175 years later, Judson College is still providing young women an opportunity to acquire scholarship, culture, and character.
Judson is still here because its founders fought for their dreams, and its students and alumnae—past and present—have always fought to keep those dreams alive.
Learn to swim with the sharks
- Category: Judson History
- Published Date
- Written by Audra Kennedy
- Hits: 28
Last year, I started watching this show called The Shark Tank. Essentially it goes a little something like this: I have this awesome widget that has made some profit, but I need a shark—one of the investors—to give me $25,000 for 35% of my company. If one or more of them agree, I get some money. If they do not agree or think my idea is horrible, I get fed to the sharks.
I love this show because, in many ways, it is an example of how life works. There will always be risks involved in anything you want to achieve. The true test comes in when you make your dream a reality. Some people will love you for it, and some people will eat your lunch. Though at the end of the day, it’s your dream—not someone else’s—so you have to measure other people’s opinions and decide how to go forward.
All of that being said, as I was watching The Shark Tank, I started thinking about Milo P. Jewett and the other founders of Judson College.
In 1838, Milo P. Jewett, a Northerner from New York, travelled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama looking for some help to start a school for girls in the South. He had recently converted to the Baptist faith, and wanted to use his tremendous talent as an educator to open a school. Dr. Basil Manly, the first president of the University of Alabama (UA), was inspired by his enthusiastic nature enough to introduce him to General Edwin D. King, an influential man in Marion, Alabama and the President of the Board of Trustees for UA.
King was one of the wealthiest men in Alabama at the time, and he also had hopes of establishing a Baptist school in the South. General King asked Ms. Julia Tarrant Barron to host an interest meeting in her home and invited Jewett to attend.
The rest is history.
Judson Female Institute opened its doors on January 7, 1839. By 1840, Jewett Hall was constructed by the contributions of King, Barron, and Siloam Baptist Church. It truly was a community effort to get Judson off the ground.
As I was watching The Shark Tank, I knew that Jewett must have felt the same as the inventors who go on the show. It’s scary to take the steps necessary to achieve your dreams. The founders of Judson faced many hardships in the early years, but their perseverance and faith paid off. Jewett and the others knew that Judson Female Institute would be around for a long, long time.
I am so glad that Judson’s founders did not give up.
Judson History 101
- Category: Judson History
- Published Date
- Written by Audra Kennedy
- Hits: 36
Fact: Judson College is 175 years old. It’s also the only women’s college in Alabama. In the heyday of the 1950s and ‘60s, there were over three hundred women’s colleges in the United States. Today, there are less than forty.
What makes Judson College so special? How has it survived two fires, five wars, and numerous fluctuations in the economy of the decades?
As a freshman, I knew there was something special about Judson College. I walked around campus on my first day and I was overwhelmed by a great sense of belonging and purpose. On more than one occasion that day I remember feeling as if I was a part of something bigger than myself.
When I became a Judson College ambassador, I began to learn more about Judson’s history. That electric charge of belonging and purpose made sense as I studied out the how, when, where, and why of Judson. The more I learned the more I wanted to know.
According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, a legacy is something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor. Judson College has withstood the test of time because it has remained faithful to its legacy. A clear, distinct vision is transferrable from generation to generation. Milo P. Jewett, the principal founder and first president, had vision and passion, which is the perfect formula for success.
Milo P. Jewett came to Marion, Alabama with two trunks, a new wife, and a passion for education. His vision was to start a school for young women, a school that emphasized Christianity and provided educational opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable.
He came to the South upon recommendation of Dr. Basil Manly, the president of the University of Alabama. Dr. Manly knew of another man who wanted to start a school for women. His name was General Edwin D. King, one of the wealthiest men of his time. King was also a member of the Alabama Baptist Convention whose first attempts at starting a school was sorely unsuccessful, but that’s a topic for another day.
Dr. Manly put Jewett and King in contact, which is why Jewett showed up in Marion, bag in tow, at the home of Julia Tarrant Barron. There were less than a dozen attendees at that first meeting, but their passion soon became apparent. Judson College was founded in 1838; however, its genesis took root that evening. The Baptists were starting a school and this time it would be a success!
I think the old saying, “And the rest is history” can be appropriately used to conclude this narrative. For 175 years, the spirit of holistic education—mind, body, and spirit—has been fostered by faculty and students alike. The Latin phrase, Lux et Veritas, which means light and truth, has been the battle cry of our institution. The modern interpretation of that phrase is equally as fitting: Knowledge and faith for a purposeful life. I think that Milo P. Jewett would be pleased with that statement. That’s what the founders were all about, right?
If you ask me, the success of Judson College can be directly linked to the preservation of its vision. As long as we stay true to the essence of that vision, the future can only get brighter.