Frank L. McVey and the University of Kentucky: A Progressive President and the Modernization of a Southern University

Acknowledgments

xiii Acknowledgments Long before my academic interest in Frank McVey and his role at the University of Kentucky, I had developed a personal affinity for the institution on an entirely different level. I grew up in a neighborhood bordering the southern edge of UK’s campus, and my boyhood summers were spent traipsing across the rolling hills and through the woodlands that comprised part of the university’s experiment station (now the arboretum). On Saturdays in the fall I peddled lemonade or hot chocolate (depending on the weather) to football fans as they walked to Commonwealth Stadium . As a teenager I spent countless summer nights playing basketball on the “blue courts” and wandered around campus observing “college life.” These and other experiences engendered in me an understanding of something special about colleges in general and the University of Kentucky in particular. This book is the result of a conversation between University of Kentucky president Lee Todd and Terry Birdwhistell, dean of the University of Kentucky Libraries. After they discussed the pivotal role Frank McVey played at the University of Kentucky and why a biography detailing his influence had not been written, both individuals approached me to see if I would be interested in such a project. Given my background in Lexington and my training in the history of higher education, I jumped at the chance to write this biography and to gain a deeper appreciation for the development of the University of Kentucky. I want to thank both of them for entrusting me with this task. xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Despite my enthusiasm, it is fair to say that without the help of a small army of people, this book would not have come to fruition. Chief among these individuals is a small group of mentors under whom I had the privilege of studying during my time in graduate school. At the University of Kentucky, Richard Angelo, Terry Birdwhistell, and John Thelin all read copies of the manuscript and offered invaluable insights, questions, and constructive criticism. My advisor while I earned my master’s degree at the University of Alabama, Forrest McDonald, and his wife, Ellen, also took time to read the manuscript and offer their own constructive criticism . The willingness of these individuals to go beyond any reasonable expectation of assistance is greatly appreciated. Members of the Lee University faculty and staff also aided me in the process. Everyone from President Paul Conn to our office’s student workers offered their support in numerous ways. I am particularly thankful to Dean Debbie Murray, who helped provide me with a secluded desk to work on the manuscript; Dean Matthew Melton, from the College of Arts and Sciences, who read a draft of the manuscript; and my department chair Bill Estes who has been a wonderful friend and mentor. It is fair to say that I have never come across a more collegial group of faculty members than those who constitute the teaching staff in Lee University’s Helen DeVos College of Education. They have provided invaluable guidance and support, and I am so fortunate to work with such a group of colleagues. I would be remiss if I did not take time to acknowledge the unusual “research assistant” who helped me on this book. The late UK historian Charles G. Talbert actually planned to write a biography of Frank McVey in the early 1970s. He passed away before ever beginning the manuscript, but the extensive notes that he took while researching were donated to University of Kentucky Special Collections. Talbert’s notes gave me a substantial head start on this project. I am certain that he would have written a vastly different biography had he been afforded that opportunity. Many times during the past years I have wished that he and I would have had a chance to discuss our perspectives on McVey. The staff members at the University Press of Kentucky have been wonderful partners in this process. I can’t imagine an academic press be- xv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ing more helpful, supportive, and willing to aid a rookie historian on his first book project. Specifically, press director Stephen Wrinn graciously offered insight and advice at key points in the process. I am thankful to him for being more than just a professional colleague but a friend as well. Allison Webster, Ila McEntire, and Carol Sickman-Garner have helped guide this manuscript into book form, and I appreciate their efforts...