PORTRAITS OF FORMER CHANCELLORS TO BE UNVEILED AT CEREMONY

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Former Chancellors Willard Gatewood and Daniel Ferritor will be recognized May 7 at 2 p.m. in the Bogle Exhibit Hall on the 5th floor of Old Main during an unveiling of their portraits, painted by artist Donald G. Blaney.

Paintings of former UA chancellors have been permanently installed on the 2nd floor of Old Main.

Chancellor John A. White, UA System President B. Alan Sugg, and Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Frank Oldham will host the ceremony honoring the former chancellors. After the portraits are unveiled, Gatewood and Ferritor will offer remarks. The public is invited.

Dr. Willard B. Gatewood, former UA Alumni Distinguished Professor, served as Chancellor in 1984 - 85. He formally ended his teaching and scholarly career July 1.

Gatewood’s full academic career spanned over 40 years, the last 28 spent on the UA campus. A recipient of the University’s Distinguished Research Award and Teacher of the Year Award, he taught history of the U.S. and the South with an emphasis on African American history.

As Chancellor, Gatewood initiated two of the University’s key accomplishments in recent years: the restoration of Old Main and the establishment of the Sturgis Fellowships, the University’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. He is also credited as the co-founder, along with University Professor Miller Williams, of the widely respected University Press.

Gatewood received his Ph.D. (1957), M.A. (1954), and B.A. (1953) from Duke University. He has received numerous awards, including Humanist of the Year from the Arkansas Endowment for the Humanities. In 1994, he was awarded the inaugural Chancellor’s Medal from then Chancellor Dan Ferritor in recognition of "his achieved excellence in teaching, scholarship and service to the University." As Ferritor remarked then, "He has nourished many with his humanity and warmth of spirit."

In the fall 1998 semester, Dr. Ferritor returned to the Department of Sociology to teach. Dr. Ferritor had served over 11 years as chancellor, assuming the position in 1986. Ferritor is the third longest serving leader in UA history, surpassed only by John C. Futrall, who served 26 years, and David W. Mullins, who served 14 years.

While Chancellor, Ferritor headed a drive that raised $13 million to renovate Old Main, which has for years stood as a symbol of higher education in the state of Arkansas. He also created a Teaching Academy to sponsor faculty development and a Teaching and Faculty Support Center to help improve teaching. He is responsible for the proposal for the Presidential Library.

Dr. Ferritor received his B.A. in English in 1962 from Rockhurst College in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. He then traveled to St. Louis where he completed his M.A. in sociology in 1967 and his Ph.D. in sociology in 1969 at Washington University.

Dr. Ferritor has been active outside the University, serving on the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the United Way of Washington County Board of Directors, the NWA Regional Airport Authority, the Community Development Corp. Board of Directors, the College Football Association Board of Directors, and the NCAA Committee on Athletic Certification. He presently serves as a trustee of the Harvey and Bernice Jones Charitable Trust.

In 1984 he received the University of Arkansas Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teaching and Research. He has been named a University Professor.