In the spring of 2018, Henry Clifton Ferrell, Jr., emeritus professor of history and former university historian, was appointed to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor conferred by the governor of North Carolina, recognizing Ferrell’s extraordinary record of service to the state. With that appointment, Ferrell joined a select list of ECU faculty, board members, and alumni to have merited the honor. Recently, these have included Dr. Steven Thomas (2015), dean emeritus of the College of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. Paul Cunningham (2016), dean emeritus of the Brody School of Medicine, and Jim Talton (2003), former vice chair of the ECU Board of Trustees. Ferrell’s distinguished work as university historian and his exceptional contributions to collegial governance in North Carolina higher education were key factors in Governor Roy Cooper’s appointment of Ferrell to the Order of the Longleaf Pine.
Ferrell’s contributions to history education at ECU were extraordinary. In addition to serving as a faculty member for over four decades, he authored several important monographs. His first, Claude A. Swanson of Virginia: A Political Biography, was a study of one of the leading, early twentieth-century figures in Virginia politics. As East Carolina’s second university historian, Ferrell followed Mary Jo Bratton, the first, in interpreting the school’s history. In his capacity as university historian, Ferrell authored one volume, No Time for Ivy: East Carolina University, 1907-2007, a beautifully illustrated survey of ECU history, and edited another, Promises Kept: East Carolina University, 1980-2007, a collection of essays on topics related to university history drafted by an array of distinguished faculty and administrators. Both were published in 2006 in anticipation of the university’s three-year long centennial celebration, spanning 2007-2009. In 2007, the year Ferrell retired, he capped off his career with a three-volume study examining the U.S. Congress and national defense, 1915-1939.
As a faculty member, Ferrell rendered distinguished service to the History Department by serving as its representative to the Faculty Senate. Widely respected by his colleagues in that body, Ferrell was subsequently elected and served as its chair. At the state level, he served as ECU’s representative to the University of North Carolina System’s Faculty Assembly, representing his home institution as well as the interests of faculty statewide. In 1972-1973, he served on the Faculty Assembly as it formulated its constitution and bylaws. Due to his many contributions to the body, he was elected and served as the second chair of the UNC Faculty Assembly from 1974-1976, guiding its growth and development during those years. From 1996-2002, Ferrell again served on the Faculty Assembly, this time as parliamentarian.
Honoring his outstanding service, the Faculty Assembly passed a resolution on behalf of the president of the University of North Carolina and the delegates of the University of North Carolina Faculty Assembly expressing their profound appreciation for his service to the state. At ECU, the Henry C. Ferrell, Jr. Scholarship in History honors his contributions to teaching and historical research.
Sources
- “Conversations with Past Chairs of the Faculty of ECU.” ECU Faculty Senate, February 21, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V41ZyFWmNg&feature=youtu.be
- Henry C. Ferrell, Jr. Papers (#1125), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, U.S.A.
- Ferrell, Henry C., Jr. Claude A. Swanson of Virginia: A Political Biography. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1985.
- Ferrell, Henry C., Jr., ed., No Time for Ivy: East Carolina University, 1907-2007. Greenville: East Carolina University, 2006.
- Ferrell, Henry C., Jr. Promises Kept: East Carolina University, 1980-2007. Greenville: East Carolina University, 2006.
- Ferrell, Henry C., Jr. The United States Congress and National Defense, 1915-1939. 3 Vols. Edwin Mellen Press, 2007-2008.
- “Honor Henry Ferrell.” Faculty Assembly Resolutions. The University of North Carolina System. http://old.northcarolina.edu/fa_resolutions/index.php?pg=vb&node_id=s10033.
- Letter from Dr. Leo Jenkins to Dr. Henry Ferrell. Jun. 24 1969 | Identifier: 291.2.a. http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/34909.
- “Past and present Chairs of the Faculty in attendance at the annual Fall Faculty Convocation in August 2010.” https://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/fsonline/customcf/facultysenate/celebrations/PastOfficersAugust2010.pdf
Additional Related Material
“Past and present Chairs of the Faculty in attendance at the annual Fall Faculty Convocation in August 2010.” https://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/fsonline/customcf/facultysenate/celebrations/PastOfficersAugust2010.pdf
Front row, left to right: Conner Atkeson, Department of History, Chair of the Faculty 1987-1989 Ken Wilson, Department of Sociology, Chair of the Faculty 1985-1987 Caroline Ayers, Department of Chemistry, Chair of the Faculty 1982-1983 Tom Johnson, College of Health and Human Performance, Chair of the Faculty 1979-1982 Henry Ferrell, Department of History, Chair of the Faculty 1977-1979 John Ellen, Department of History, Chair of the Faculty 1966-1967 Back row, left to right: Marianna Walker, College of Allied Health Sciences, Chair of the Faculty 2009-2012 Mark Taggart, School of Music, Chair of the Faculty 2006-2008 Rick Niswander, College of Business, Chair of the Faculty 2003-2004 Bob Morrison, Department of Chemistry, Chair of the Faculty 2000-2003 Brenda Killingsworth, College of Business, Chair of the Faculty 1998-2000 Patricia Anderson, College of Education, Chair of the Faculty 1993-1995 Brenda Killingsworth, College of Business, Chair of the Faculty 1998-2000
Citation Information
Title: Henry Clifton Ferrell, Jr.
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 5/8/2018