1945-1958
Born in Ben Lomond, Ark., in 1901, Dr. Ellis graduated from Henderson-Brown in
1921 and, after teaching at the Henderson-Brown Academy, entered graduate school
and received a master’s degree from Yale University in 1923. He would receive a
Ph.D. in philosophy from the same institution a decade later. He returned to Henderson-Brown
and remained on the teaching staff at Henderson State Teachers College after the
Henderson-Brown merger with ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø in 1929. In 1935 Dr. Ellis joined the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
faculty as a teacher of philosophy and director of the library. He returned to Henderson
State Teachers College as president in 1941. At the time he was named President
of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø in 1945, Dr. Ellis was also being considered for the presidency of Centenary
College, a Methodist institution in Shreveport, La. Under Dr. Ellis the college
experienced a rise in attendance as returning W.W. II veterans enrolled in great
numbers, added several important buildings to the campus, launched a revived general
education program and established a closer relationship between ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and the
United Methodist Church of Arkansas.