Lon Morris College (LMC) was a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and was the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that was owned by an individual conference and not the denomination as a whole. Lon Morris was an accredited two-year institute of higher learning, which provided instruction in the arts and sciences with a core curriculum emphasizing liberal arts. While Lon Morris taught as many as 350 students{{cite web | title=Lon Morris College | work=Texas Mentor (XAP Corp. 1999-2006) | url=http://www.texasmentor.org/CampusTour/undergraduate/94/Lon_Morris_College/Lon_Morris_College1.html | access-date=2007-06-24}} in a semester, enrollment reached more than 1,000, a new record, in the fall of 2009.[http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_238102241.html Overcrowding the ‘suite’ life at Lon Morris] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130126164612/http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_238102241.html |date=2013-01-26 }}, Jacksonville Daily Progress, August 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-24. The school was {{convert|30|mi|km}} south of Tyler."[http://beabearcat.com/aboutus.php About Lon Morris College]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120511020133/http://www.beabearcat.com/aboutus.php Archive]) Lon Morris College. Retrieved on May 23, 2012. The person who last held the title of college president was Dr. Miles McCall; he resigned effective May 24, 2012.

Lon Morris College filed for bankruptcy on July 2, 2012.[http://www.unitedmethodistreporter.com/2012/07/lon-morris-college-files-for-bankruptcy/ Lon Morris College files for bankruptcy] The 112-acre campus was auctioned on January 14, 2013, in Dallas, Texas; the primary purchasers were a local school district and an office supply company.{{Cite web|url = http://unitedmethodistreporter.com/2013/02/01/auction-completed-for-lon-morris-college/|title = Auction completed for Lon Morris College|last = Hodges|first = Sam|last2 = Editor|first2 = Former Managing|website = UMR|access-date = 2016-03-08|last3 = UMR}}

History

Founded in 1854 as the New Danville Masonic Female Academy near Kilgore, Texas, Lon Morris College was the oldest existing two-year college in Texas until its closure in 2012.{{Handbook of Texas|id=hej01|name=Jacksonville|author=Ann Hudson|date=June 6, 2001|retrieved=December 23, 2008}} In 1873, the academy moved to Kilgore and became property of the Kilgore Methodist Church, changing its name to the Alexander Institute in honor of its president Isaac Alexander, an early Texas educator.{{Handbook of Texas|id=fal08|name=Alexander, Isaac|author=Connie Snodgrass|date=June 6, 2001|retrieved=December 23, 2008}}

The Texas Annual Conference acquired the Alexander Institute in 1875. Chartered on January 15, 1887, the Institute moved to Jacksonville in 1894 and to its final location in 1909. After R.A. "Lon" Morris of Pittsburg, Texas, gave his estate to the school, and with approval of the Texas Annual Conference, the name of the institution was changed again, in 1924, to Lon Morris College.{{cite web | title=LMC History | work=Lon Morris College (2004), www.lonmorris.edu | url=http://www.lonmorris.edu/lmcHitory-32.php | access-date=2007-06-24 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929071642/http://www.lonmorris.edu/lmcHitory-32.php | archive-date=2007-09-29 }}

When it closed, Lon Morris was the only two-year Methodist college west of the Mississippi River, and it had held membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools longer than any other two-year college in Texas. It was the only surviving pre-Civil War school in East Texas.

One of Lon Morris' presidents was John E. Fellers, a Christian writer and Methodist minister, primarily in the Houston area, but also in Alexandria and Shreveport, Louisiana.John Andrew Prime, "Ex-pastor of First United Methodist dies", Shreveport Times, July 15, 2007

In 2009, the campus of Lon Morris grew to the west, with a gift from the city of Jacksonville of a municipal activity center (formerly a Texas National Guard armory), a rodeo arena, and land surrounding both. The college allowed annual events for the Tops-in-Texas Rodeo at the rodeo arena without any financial outlays from the city.[http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_222112929.html City signs over recreation center, rodeo grounds] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130126162053/http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_222112929.html |date=2013-01-26 }}, Jacksonville Daily Progress, August 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-24.

Students participated in a variety of sports including men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's golf, volleyball, cheer leading and dance. In 2009, football was added as a varsity sport in an attempt to increase revenue,{{Cite web|url = http://lubbockonline.com/texas/2012-08-12/football-cant-save-texas-oldest-junior-college|title = Football can't save Texas' oldest junior college|website = Lubbock Online {{!}} Lubbock Avalanche-Journal|access-date = 2016-03-08}} but this effort was unsuccessful and all athletics programs were disbanded in 2012.{{Cite web|url = http://www.kltv.com/story/18841505/lon-morris-becomes-second-east-texas-school-to-dump-athletics|title = Lon Morris becomes second East Texas school to dump athletics|website = www.kltv.com|access-date = 2016-03-08}}

In February 2010, Lon Morris announced a new agriculture curriculum, begun in the fall of 2010.[http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/local/x1834673447/LMC-adds-ag-program LMC Adds Ag Program], Jacksonville Daily Progress, Nathan Straus--writer, February 17, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-09. In March 2010, the college acquired a downtown Jacksonville building that originally had housed the city post office for many decades. A local family had owned and operated the building for a time as a hotel and restaurant under the name The Landmark. Lon Morris announced it would use the acquired property for its new hospitality administration program, for which classes would start in the fall of 2010.[http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/local/x1237942744/LMC-additions LMC Additions], Jacksonville Daily Progress, Nathan Straus--writer, February 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-09.[http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/local/x1029316826/LMC-inks-deal-for-Landmark LMC inks deal for Landmark], Jacksonville Daily Progress, Nathan Straus--writer, March 8, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-09.[http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20100324/NEWS01/3240316 Sadler's Kitchen Set To Move Into Landmark Building], Tyler Morning Telegraph, Kelly Gooch--writer, March 24, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-28.

By March 2010, a new dormitory, Cooper House, opened on the campus, with room for thirty-two students. Another new dormitory was called The Lodge.[http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20100325/NEWS01/3250315 Lon Morris Adds Beds For Students], Tyler Morning Telegraph, Kelly Gooch--writer, March 25, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-28.

On May 23, 2012, all college employees, with the exception of 11 core employees, were furloughed indefinitely.Valencia, Nick. "[http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/23/us/texas-college-shutdown/index.html Oldest 2-year college in Texas furloughs staff]." CNN. Wednesday May 23, 2012. Retrieved on May 23, 2012. Over 100 individuals were furloughed. The furlough occurred after the school missed three pay periods.Austin, Anthony. "[http://www.cbs19.tv/story/18620231/lon-morris-restructuring-could-affect-city-financially Lon Morris restructuring could affect city financially]." KYTX. Retrieved on May 26, 2012. Miles McCall, the president, submitted his resignation notice via e-mail. McCall's resignation was effective May 24, 2012. The affected individuals were notified via email.[http://www.ketknbc.com/news/lon-morris-college-employees-terminated-by-email], KETK News, Angela Berry--executive producer, May 23, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-23. The decision to furlough was made by the Bridge Point Consulting Company. On May 5, 2012, the board of trustees had asked Bridge Point Consulting Company to make recommendations on how to proceed with a planned restructuring of the school.Resendiz, Marivel. "[http://corsicanadailysun.com/news/x1561289704/Lon-Morris-staff-furloughed Lon Morris staff furloughed]." Jacksonville Progress at the Corsicana Daily Sun. May 23, 2012. Retrieved on May 23, 2012. Later that month Tyler Junior College sent an outreach team to help Lon Morris students register for summer classes at Tyler Junior College. It also allowed LMC students to live at the junior college residence halls at discounted rates."[http://www.cbs19.tv/story/18628326/tyler-junior-college-to-reach-out-to-lon-morris-students-for-summer-study Tyler Junior College to reach out to Lon Morris students for summer study]." KYTX-TV. May 25, 2012. Retrieved on May 25, 2012.

Campus

Residence halls included Brown Hall, Clark Hall, Craven-Wilson Hall, and Fair Hall. Other student housing facilities included Cooper House, LMC Cottages, and LMC Lodge."[http://beabearcat.com/housing.php Student Housing]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120521195124/http://beabearcat.com/housing.php Archive]) Lon Morris College. Retrieved on May 23, 2012.

Notable alumni

Alumni of the Lon Morris College Theatre Arts Department include:

Sandy Duncan, stage, TV, and movie actress, singer, and dancer[http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_224102229.html All planned out] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130126173823/http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_224102229.html |date=2013-01-26 }}, Jacksonville Daily Progress, August 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
Margo Martindale, film and TV actress
K. T. Oslin, country music singer
Tommy Tune, stage actor, dancer, performer, choreographer, director, and producer
Christopher Ayres, anime voice-actor{{Cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/chris-ayres/person/363707/summary.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-02-03 |archive-date=2008-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919022106/http://www.tv.com/chris-ayres/person/363707/summary.html |url-status=dead }}
Amanda McBroom, Golden Globe-winning songwriter ("The Rose")Amanda McBroom biography, http://www.amcbroom.com/amanda.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031033714/http://amcbroom.com/amanda.html |date=2009-10-31 }}. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
Edwin Neal, actor
Alan Tudyk, stage, film, and television actor
William Johnson [aka Bill Johnson (XI) on IMDB], stage, film, television, author, performance coach.

Other Lon Morris alumni include:

Dexter Cambridge, Bahamian professional basketball player
John Wesley Hardt, bishop in the United Methodist Church
Micah Hoffpauir, Chicago Cubs first baseman[http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_212110518.html Making history] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130126163116/http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_212110518.html |date=2013-01-26 }}, Jacksonville Daily Progress, July 31, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
Johnny Horton, country music singer
Neal McCoy, country music artist
Dee Ann McWilliams, Major General, US Army[https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1198789769 Dee Ann McWilliams]' Facebook page listing, retrieved 2010-03-28.
Cindy Pickett, actress
Carl Reynolds, major league baseball player and member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Chris Sampson, major league baseball player
Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, Professional football player, Team Canada Bobsled

References

Bibliography

[https://archive.today/20130126144616/http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_228151350.html Lon Morris College, a storied academic history], Jacksonville Daily Progress, August 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
John Wesley Hardt, "Cecil Peeples: a twentieth century giant: the story of Cecil Peeples, and his years at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas", UMR Communications, 1999. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
Glendell A. Jones, "Mid the pine hills of East Texas: the Methodist centennial history of Lon Morris College", Progress Publishing Co., 1973. Retrieved 2009-10-24.

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20050828192500/http://www.lonmorris.edu/ Lon Morris College]
[https://www.beabearcat.com LMC information site], including processes for acquiring transcripts
{{Handbook of Texas|id=kbl15|name=Lon Morris College}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090323172320/http://rtvpix.com/BU-9424-DTIAOQ-01 Online tour of Lon Morris campus (mainly interiors)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20111105095206/http://njcaa.org/colleges_college_sport.cfm?collegeId=1438&sid=4&slid=2 NJCAA records/rosters for Lon Morris sports]
[http://www.leejamison.com/LMC_1.html The Millenium Mural] - artwork of Lon Morris campus buildings/icons and lineage of College presidents

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Category:Defunct private universities and colleges in Texas

Category:Two-year colleges in the United States

Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2012

Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Category:Education in Cherokee County, Texas

Category:Buildings and structures in Cherokee County, Texas

Category:NJCAA schools

Category:1854 establishments in Texas

Category:Universities and colleges established in 1854

Category:2012 disestablishments in Texas