News Center

Hendrix Celebrates Dean and Professor Emeritus with Archival Collection

The John Hugh Churchill Collection available at Hendrix’s Olin C. Bailey Library

CONWAY, Ark. (September 19, 2023) — Hendrix College continues to celebrate the legacy of Professor and Dean Emeritus Dr. John Hugh Churchill with the John Hugh Churchill Collection. The collection is housed in the College’s Olin C. Bailey Library Archives and includes obituaries, writings, speeches, course materials, tributes, and other materials related to Dr. Churchill’s life and career.

View the collection

For inquiries about donating materials to the Churchill Collection or viewing the collection, contact Britt Anne Murphy, Director of the Library, at 501-450-1288 or murphyb@hendrix.edu or Hendrix Archivist Tina Murdock at 501-450-4558 or murdock@hendrix.edu.

Churchill, who passed away in November 2019, served as a professor of philosophy, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College, and twice as interim president in his 24 years at Hendrix. He served the College from 1977 to 2001, and retired in 2013 as Executive Secretary of Phi Beta Kappa in Washington, D.C.

In 2022, Hendrix honored his years of tireless service, his numerous contributions to the academic reputation of Hendrix, and his enduring support of Hendrix’s liberal arts heritage with the installation of the John Churchill Memorial Plaza behind the Bertie Wilson Murphy Building on “Tabor Top” in the heart of campus.

In addition to the collection and plaza, Hendrix created an endowed scholarship in memory of Churchill and his wife, Jean, who died in September 2021. Jean Hill Churchill grew up in Little Rock, graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and later taught in the Conway Public Schools. Their oldest son, Will, is a 1999 Hendrix graduate. 

About Hendrix College

Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.   

“… Through engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.” —Hendrix College Statement of Purpose