Endowed Departments, Professorships, and Fellowships
The Anderson Hancock Planetarium Astronomy Professorship, established in 2010 through generous donations from the Brenda and Dave Rickey Foundation and other friends of the foundation, is an endowed fund set up to provide all the necessary funding for this faculty position. The professorship complements and enhances the teaching of astronomy at Marietta College and the operation of the Anderson Hancock Planetarium that opened in 2009.
The Marcus and Mindel Vershok Brachman Department of Business & Economics was so designated in 1965 in grateful recognition of the significant support of Marietta College by the late Solomon Brachman of Fort Worth, Texas, a 1918 graduate. The name memorializes his parents. The department is located in Andrew U. Thomas Memorial Hall.
The Edwy R. Brown Department of Petroleum Engineering, established in 1946, memorializes a graduate in the Class of 1894 who was a pioneer of the oil industry in the American Southwest. Funds bequeathed by Mr. Brown, who died in 1942, built the Edwy R. Brown Petroleum Building, which houses the department.
The Harla Ray Eggleston Department of Biology, designated in 1965, memorializes a faculty member who taught biology from 1915 until his retirement in 1960, and who was department head for most of that time. Professor Eggleston died in 1965. The department is located in the Bartlett Biology Building.
The Edward E . MacTaggart Department of Music, located in the Grover M. Hermann Fine Arts Center, perpetuates the memory of Mr. MacTaggart, Class of 1892, a patron of the fine arts. He was a benefactor of the College in many ways and twice served it as a trustee. He died in 1952. The department designation was established in 1964.
The Ebenezer Baldwin Andrews Chair of Natural Science, established in 1925 and endowed in 1934 under the will of Katherine Andrews Mather, memorializes her father, an 1842 graduate and a professor of geology, mineralogy, and chemistry at the College from 1851 to 1870.
The Israel Ward Andrews Professorship in Religion was established in 1905 from a bequest of Dr. Andrews, president of the College from 1855 to 1885. The designation of the chair underwent several changes.
The Benedum Professorship, established in 1965 through a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an endowed fund in support of the chair of the Edwy R. Brown Department of Petroleum Engineering. The fund is in memory of Michael L. Benedum, an internationally prominent figure in petroleum and an honorary trustee and alumnus of the College, and other members of the family.
The Professorship of Early American History will support a faculty member within the History Department to teach classes related to early American history (from the colonial period to 1877). The professor will utilize the resources of Marietta College and its Special Collections to deliver interesting and engaging classes in the early American history area that maximize the interest of students in the topic. The endowment distribution will be used to fund a portion of a tenure track position or provide funding for an Assistant Visiting Professor in the History Department.
The Erwin Professorship in Chemistry was reestablished in 1935 after being unassigned for many years. It is a memorial to Cornelius B. Erwin of New Britain, Connecticut, a benefactor of the College during his later lifetime and through his will following his death in 1885.
The William R. and Marie Adamson Flesher Chair in the Humanities was established in 1983 from funds left for the purpose by the Drs. Flesher, both deceased. Graduates of the College, he in 1930, she in 1927, they were each awarded an honorary degree in 1968 in a joint conferral, the first in the College’s history and the only one to date. The honorary degrees recognized their many contributions to education, both in elementary and high schools and on the education faculty at Ohio State University, and for their generosities to Marietta College. The bequests from the Fleshers generated a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities under a gift-matching challenge that was attained. These funds were added to the principal of the Flesher Chair in the endowment fund.
The Milton Friedman Chair in Economics has been funded through a trust established by Lester E. and the late Alice McCoy Merydith, alumnus and alumna of the College in the Classes of 1927 and 1928, respectively, of Sun City, Arizona. The chair is named in honor of the internationally known economist, scholar, writer, and Nobel Prize winner. Additionally, the donors and the College sponsor the Friedman Lecture Series for faculty, students, and area residents. The first lecture in 1983 featured the honoree, Dr. Friedman.
The Gilde-Grose Distinguished Professor of Science Endowment has been established to recognize a faculty member who, through their dedication to teaching, inspires students to think about science in context to their place in the world, so as to cultivate and encourage an interest in the sciences. This faculty member should, through their patience, stimulation of thought, and active engagement in both teaching and mentorship greatly contribute to the success and prestige of Marietta College’s science programs. The faculty member selected to hold this position should seek not only to inspire and interest but to also foster a willingness to explore in both Science majors and non-majors.
The Edward G. Harness Endowment, established in 1985, honors and rewards Marietta College faculty for exceptional teaching. Edward G. Harness, Class of 1940, was a member of the Marietta College Board of Trustees for more than two decades and served for 15 years as either its chairman or vice chairman. He joined Procter & Gamble upon graduation and rose to become its president and board chairman. This endowment was established by friends and the Procter & Gamble Fund as a means to perpetuate Mr. Harness’s vision and to address directly the issues he cared about most: building the endowment of his alma mater and rewarding superior teaching performance.
The Henderson Professorship in Philosophy was established in 1892 from funds bequeathed for the purpose by Dr. Henry Smith, president of Marietta College from 1846 to 1855, who desired that the chair be named in memory of his mother, Phoebe Henderson Linsley.
The Hillyer Professorship in English Literature, Rhetoric, and Oratory was established in 1879 through funds provided by Truman Hillyer.
McCoy Professors are Marietta College faculty who have been recognized as outstanding teachers by a selection committee composed of nationally recognized teachers and scholars who are not members of the Marietta College community. The four-year designation, with possibility of renewal, also includes an annual salary supplement. The program was established in 1993 as part of the McCoy Endowment for Teaching Excellence, which was donated to Marietta College by John G. McCoy, Class of 1935, and his wife Jeanne.
The Petroleum Industry Partnership Chair was established with gifts from several interested corporations (among them Mobil Oil, Consolidated Natural Gas, Standard Oil of Ohio, Gulf/Chevron, and Conoco) and assets from two bequests from persons who were active in the petroleum industry.
The Molly C. Putnam Professorship in Religion was established in 1973. Mrs. Putnam was a devoted churchwoman who resided in Pasadena, California, until her death in 1972. Both she and her husband, Douglas, a member of the Class of 1881, remembered the College in their wills.
The William Van Law Plankey Professorship was established by a bequest from Mr. Plankey as part of his estate. The Plankey Professor, appointed for a three-year (maximum) renewable term by the President and the Provost in consultation by the Faculty Development Committee, is selected on the basis of excellence in scholarly and creative activity, especially as reflected in undergraduate research.
The Rickey Professorships were established in 2000 through a gift from David M. Rickey, Class of 1978; the J&D Family Foundation of San Diego, California; and Jan E. Nielsen. The grant endowed two new positions in the Physics Department and assures that the department will maintain a minimum of three full-time faculty members.
The Andrew U. Thomas Professorship in History was established in 1966 as a memorial to Mr. Thomas, of Dayton, Ohio, a graduate in the Class of 1921, who served as a trustee of the College. The endowed chair was created from gifts made by Mr. Thomas and his late wife, Mrs. Lenore B. Thomas.