On May 6, 2023, Emory & Henry celebrated its 175th commencement ceremony and the Class of 2023. Squire Miller Henry, a former porter and furnace stoker for the College, was among those celebrated, but with an honorary posthumous Doctorate of Divinity.
“Awarding Squire Henry an honorary degree posthumously at commencement was a true honor. His dedication and loyalty to Emory & Henry, coupled with his decades of service to this institution, are part of the very foundation of the College,” said President Wells. “His impact was profound on the everyday life of students, faculty and staff members. In celebration of his life and legacy, we are grateful to work with his family to honor Henry in this way. Squire Henry’s legacy will not be forgotten, and we are indeed grateful for all he did as an extraordinary employee of Emory & Henry College.”
“Squire Miller Henry worked at Emory & Henry most of his adult life and was dedicated to the people there,” said Mary Lampkins ’88, ’09, Henry’s great-great-grandaughter and a two-time graduate of Emory & Henry. “It means the world to me to have my great-great-grandfather receive his degree from Emory & Henry College in 2023. I am grateful to everyone that made this happen,” said Lampkins.
In his later life, Henry was honored with multiple citations and recognitions from the Emory & Henry community. Henry died in his Blacksburg home in December 1923. Today, his legacy continues to live on throughout the College and his descendants, many of whom have worked at or graduated from Emory & Henry. This year’s commencement ceremony also observed 100 years since the passing of Henry.
Henry’s descendants and others rooted in the Blacksburg community share stories of his integrity, commitment to the church and hard work for his family. Henry was instrumental in establishing the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which still meets in Blacksburg.
More than 70 descendants of Henry attended the 2023 commencement ceremony, and the eldest living descendant, Marie Lampkins, 90, accepted the degree on his behalf.
Throughout April, the College celebrated National Poetry Month by hosting the Catherine Burns Larmore Visiting Poet Series with ecopoet Sherwin Bitsui and the Daniel Leidig Lectureship in Poetry with Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Phillips. Both Bitsui and Phillips are nationally renowned and award-winning poets. Each poet visited an English class taught by Professor Matthew Kelley, gave a poetry reading and signed broadside poems for attendees.
In February, the College opened its first on-campus thrift store located on the lower level of the Memorial Chapel. The community celebrated the new E&H Thrift Store with a ribbon cutting, and students in attendance had the opportunity to shop afterward. Provided for Emory & Henry students, the E&H Thrift Store is unlike any other shopping experience. The store does not accept money for the exchange of clothing. Instead, students can choose to “pay” for items in one of four ways: volunteer to work a shift at the store; donate a gently used item; share a social media post about the store; or fill out a quick survey at check out. The store was made possible by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life.