The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1956-03-20
Robert Inaugural Procession
Tolnclude l27 Representatives
Ceremonies Open
Friday In Johns
Auditorium at IL

The Inauguration of DR.. Joseph
Clarke Robert as seventeenth
President of Hampden-Sydney
College will take place in Johns
Auditorium at II a. m on March
%. Sir Percy Claude Spencer. K.
B. E., @. c., Australian Ambassa-
dor to the United States. will de-
liver the inaugural address.
DR.. Frank S. Johns. Richmond
surgeon and chairman of the
Hampden-Sydney Board of Trust
ees. will preside at the exercises.
DR.. j. Mcdowell Richards mode
rator of the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church. U. S.,
and president of Columbia Theo-
logical Seminary. Decatur Georg-
la. will deliver the invocation.
Sir Percy will be introduced by
Judge A. c. Buchanan. Justice OF
the Supreme Court OF Appeals of
Virginia. Following the Ambassa-
doris address, DR.. Johns will adj
minister the oath of office to DR..
Robert. and present him with the
college charter After President
Roberts acceptance of the charter.
Dr. Benjamin Rice Lacy. Jr..
chaplain of the college and form
er president of Union Theological
Seminary. Richmond. will pro-
nounce the benediction.
127 Colleges in Procession
Marching in the procession will
be representative of l27 colleges
and eight learned societies. as we'll
as trustees. faculty members. and
representatives of the student
body of Hampden-Sydney
Music for the professional and
RccesSional will be furnished by
the. Hampden-Sydney glee club,
under the direction of T. E. Craw-
ley.
At the luncheon for official dele
gates, the Hon. Frank Bednuger
of Boydton, president of the
Hampden-Sydney Alumni Asso-
citation. will preside. The invoca-
ton will be pronounced by the Rev
erend N. l.. Dennis of Richmond.
moderator of the Synod of Vir-
ginia
Greetings will be brought bv
Colgate Darden. president of the
University of Virginia, for the
state colleges and Universities. by
Francis Pendleton Gaines. presi-
dent of Washington and Lee Uni
vesity. for private institutions:
by James Smith. president of the
/ Hampden-Sydney student body
for the students; by Hinton Baxter
Overcast, professor of Biology, for
the faculty; and by DR.. Richards
Tor the Presbyterian Church. U. S.
Dr.. Richards will also pronounce
the benediction.
There will be a reception for
delegates. students, faculty and
frinds in the college library fol-
lowing the luncheon
Author of Three Books
Dr. Robert has been serving as
president of Hampden-S Sydney
since August |. 1855. when he sue
ceeded Dr. Edgar G. Cannon.
Previously he had been president
OF Cocker College. Huntsville. South
Carolina. l952-l955, and associate
dean Of the Duke Graduate School.
l948-l95 A graduate mama cum
tdude of Furman University. he
received his A. NJ. and Phi. ID.
from Duke. and had taught there
successfully as assistant professor.
associate professor. and professor
of history.
DR.. Robert is the author of three
books: The Tobacco Kingdom. The
Road to Monticello, and The Story
OF Tobacco in America. He is
member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omi-
cron Delta Kappa. Sigma Chi.
Rotary. and the Commonwealth
Club of Richmond.
Continued on PAGE s.