J u ne Ve s pe r
Se r v i ce s
June 6
Rev. Johnny Jeffords
Covenant United Methodist Church
June 13
Barry Grider
Forrest Hill
Church of Christ
June 20
Dr. William White
Lord of Life
Lutheran Church
June 27
Rev. Gene Sauls
Central Church Minister
DED I CAT ED
f r om Don J oh n s on , K i r by P i ne s Chap l a i n
• 4 •
The Pinecone
|
June 2013
Thanks to a generous donation by
David O. Sacks ’90, the MUS archives
are now the Harkins Archives, named in
honor of school Archivist and Historian
Dr. John E. Harkins. At a dedication
ceremony in the Joseph R. Hyde,
Jr. Library Learning Center May 7,
family and friends gathered to celebrate
Harkins’ contributions during 30 years
at MUS, including his role as a history
instructor, chairman of the History
Department, Ross M. Lynn Chair of
History, and author of the MUS Century
Book.
“
The very same characteristics
that made John an excellent teacher
and faculty member – his intellectual
honesty, his insatiable desire to learn, his
willingness to put the school above his
personal interests, his great knowledge
of history, and his collegiality – make
him an excellent archivist, as well,”
Headmaster Ellis Haguewood said.
Sacks, former COO of Paypal
and CEO of Yammer, was unable to
attend the dedication, but he sent a
letter expressing his sentiments, which
Haguewood read to the gathering:
“
Dr. Harkins once toldme that MUS,
history, and his devoted wife, Georgia,
are the three great passions of his life,
and so the Harkins Archives represents
two of those. I expect Georgia is present
today to make it a hat trick”.
“
I was very fortunate during my time
at MUS to have Dr. Harkins as a teacher
and adviser. We got to know each other
well during my senior year when I was
editor of the yearbook and he was the
faculty adviser. … His unwavering
support, encouragement, and guidance
helped give me the confidence to lead
not just that endeavor but large creative
enterprises in the future. Looking back,
these experiences were remarkably
similar. I guess there’s a reason they call
it a “preparatory school” – it actually
prepares you for life, often in ways
that are not apparent at the time. That’s
why teachers like Dr. Harkins are so
important”.
“
Whether through his diligent
pursuit of Memphis history or his long
hours spent in the archives organizing
MUS history, Dr. Harkins has always
gone above and beyond. I can count
on one hand the number of people who
have made as significant a contribution
to my own life as he has. I want to thank
Dr. Harkins for all that he has done
for me, and I’m grateful to MUS for
providing this opportunity to honor him
today.”
In an email response to Sacks,
Harkins expressed his appreciation for
the tribute: “We teachers like to think
that we achieve some tiny chunk of
immortality because of the ideas we help
students encounter and the techniques
for solving problems that we favor and
try to share. … Your laudatory words
are about as thorough an affirmation of
the validity of that hope as I ever expect
to receive. Thank you again for such
recognition.”
Recalling Sacks’ skill as a yearbook
editor, Harkins said his leadership made
The Owl of 1990 arguably the best of
that era. “By his sheer ‘get aboard or
get out of the way’ attitude and cool
competence, he earned the right to be
editor,” Harkins said. “He probably
taught me at least as much as he learned
from me.”
During the dedication Harkins
expressed his appreciation for the honor
and for the school’s “truly marvelous
institutional archives. … I had the
privilege of going through everything
in the archives when I was working on
the Century Book,” he said. “I am really
appreciative of what a splendid job this
school has done in holding on to its
documentary past.”
Harkins Archives
Mrs. Georgia and Dr. John E. Harkins
at the dedication of the Harkins Archives
