ESU's 11th president, Dr. John E. King, dies in South Carolina

Dr. John E. King, ESU's 11th president, circa 1966

Emporia State University mourns the passing of Dr. John E. King, who served as ESU’s 11th president from 1953-66. Dr. King, 94, died Saturday, June 28. He had most recently lived in Columbia, S.C.

King was raised in Texas, served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II, and later served as provost of the University of Minnesota at Duluth before becoming president of Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia.

During King’s 13 years as president, KSTC’s enrollment increased six-fold, scholarships were increased in number, and there was an emphasis on science as scientific competition with the former Soviet Union increased.

King also developed a program that, prior to federal mandates, became a national model for making college campuses accessible to the physically challenged.

ESU’s humanities building was renamed in honor of King in the summer of 1981. Constructed in 1966, the building provides facilities for art, speech and theatre arts programs.

In addition to his wife of 71 years, Glennie Beanland King, Dr. King’s survivors include two daughters, Ann King Reynolds, Ph.D., of Key West, Fla., and Rebecca Stevens of White Oak Creek, Tenn., four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service for Dr. John E. King will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 1 at Providence Presbyterian Church, West Columbia, S.C.

Thompson Funeral Home, 200 State Street, West Columbia, S.C., is handling arrangements. Emporia State University is remembering Dr. King floral arrangements sent on behalf of the University, the ESU Foundation, and the ESU Alumni Association.

Last Updated June 30, 2008>