Lon Morris Remembered at Celebration Service
Posted/updated on: January 28, 2013 at 4:08 pm
JACKSONVILLE Hundreds turn out for a bittersweet final homecoming Saturday at Jacksonvilles First United Methodist Church: a celebration of the life and ministry of fading Lon Morris College. The sermon was delivered by Rev. Ted Campbell, an alumnus whos now an associate professor at SMUs Perkins School of Theology. Campbell said, The loss of the college is very much like the loss of a family member. He harked back to Lon Morriss heyday, when person-to-person education was a hallmark.
Longtime faculty member Peter Hoheisel echoed Campbells feelings about the colleges classroom intimacy. With the growth of computer-based education, Hoheisel told KTBB of his fear that well be seeing less of this type of college, where you would have an actual relationship with a teacher small class size, fifteen, sixteen. Professor Emeritus Dr. Jimmie Reese led a prayer and a statement of faith during the service. Speaking to us afterwards, Reese called his 39 years at Lon Morris a tremendous journey for mean absolutely superb time. The saddest thing of all, says Reese: This did not need to happen. It was preventable.
After the service, many attendees headed across town, where the dormant campuss Scurlock Center came alive one more time with a sale of branded Lon Morris merchandise. Officials say money raised from the sale will be given to employees who have missed paychecks since the schools financial troubles began. Lon Morris is now going through bankruptcy proceedings; on February 4, a federal bankruptcy judge will take up results of a recent auction at which the colleges property was sold off.
