Gospel preacher and educator. --- Jesse P. Sewell Rites Set Monday --- Funeral for Jesse P. Sewell, 93, known by many as the "father of Abilene Christian College" and the president emeritus of that institution, will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the College of Christ. Officiating will be Dr. Don H. Morris, president of ACC; Dr. Paul Witt, ACC professor emeritus of chemistry; Lawrence Smith, ACC business manager; and Walter H. Adams, dean at the college. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of Elliot's Funeral Home. Born Jan. 21, 1876, in Viola, Tenn., Mr. Sewell died at 1:05 a.m. Friday in the extended care unit of West Texas Medical Center. The son of William A. and Nancy Sewell, he enrolled in Viola Normal College at the age of 15, earning tuition by doing janitor's work although he weighed only 87 pounds. When the family moved to Corsicana in 1892, Mr. Sewell stayed behind to battle a severe eye infection which nearly blinded him. He joined them later, but returned to Tennessee in 1894 to enter Nashville Bible Institute, now David Lipscomb College. There he met his first wife, Daisy McQuigg Sewell. Mr. Sewell returned to Corsicana after graduation, working for the Chamber of Commerce and preaching part-time. When a full-time preaching job opened with the Pearl and Bryan St. Church of Christ in Dallas, he moved there in 1903. He became secretary and treasurer of Southwestern Christian College at Denton in 1904, bringing him closer to his life's goal: "I was interested in building a Christian College from the day I left Nashville," He said during his 90th birthday celebration in Abilene. A case of tuberculosis forced him to seek a different climate within a year, and he chose San Angelo, preaching there for a small Church of Christ there and building up a successful fire insurance business despite his doctor's advice to quit work entirely. Although no one could explain how, he conquered the dreaded TB. Mr. Sewell accepted the presidency of Childers Classical Institute (now ACC) in 1912 with the understanding that trustees would not put any more money into the school and that he would have to assume full financial responsibility. Accepting the challenge, Mr. Sewell put all his money, and that of his wife, into the school. "I still had that dream of establishing a school for members of the Church of Christ and I was conceited enough to think maybe I could do it just a little better than anybody else," he once said. At the same time he was establishing Abilene Christian as a strong school, Mr. Sewell made major contributions to state education. He helped get a bill passed in the Texas Legislature getting the work in two-year colleges recognized and accepted. Previously the junior college had no legal standing in Texas. Through his efforts in 1917, a law was passed authorizing junior colleges to qualify their students for teaching certificates. He was also instrumental in getting a state law passed enabling standard colleges to determine their own course requirements. Mr. Sewell taught Bible while he was at Abilene Christian, as well as looking after fund raising and serving as president. His wife was dean of women, taught art and high school Bible, prepared and supervised meals for the entire student body, and operated Daisy Hall - named in her honor with the help of a matron. There was only the brick administration building with eight rooms and the Childers mansion, and some debts, when Mr. Sewell became president in 1912. When he left, there were five brick buildings and a $100,000 subscription. Mr. Sewell began suffering from gall bladder trouble in 1924, and was told his life depended on getting away from the pressures a college administrator must face. So he resigned and took a preaching job with the Southside Church of Christ in Fort Worth. He stayed only a short time, moving to the Fifth Ave. Church of Christ in Corsicana. Bronchitis forced him to move on to San Antonio. Mrs. Sewell died in 1944, and Mr. Sewell then went to California for several years, conducting revivals and educational workshops. In 1948 he married Mrs. Maxie McDuffle Runnels whose husband had been a deacon at Grove Avenue in San Antonio before his death. The couple went to Harding College in 1950, where Mr. Sewell taught religion before two heart attacks forced him to retire. He returned to Abilene in 1957. That year Mr. Sewell established the Sewell Bible Library in the Abilene Christian Library by donating 2,000 of his books to the college. The total has since grown to more than 3,000 works. For his 90th birthday in 1966, friends of the president emeritus donated $2,370.90 toward purchase of books for the Sewell collection in his honor. Mr. Sewell and his wife have donated $75,000 to Abilene Christian through their will. The money will be invested, with the annual income from the principal being used to purchase volumes for the Sewell collection. When he resigned in 1924, he left an institution which had grown from 100 to 441 students and one in which the worth of the physical plant had grown from $25,000 to $250,000. In 1956 at the 50th Anniversary Homecoming of ACC, Mr. Sewell spoke and delivered a significant compliment to Abilene. He said: "Nothing has been said about the city of Abilene in these speeches so far. I want to say something. I think there is something there that should never be forgotten by the administration and by the Board of Trustees of this institution. It is my conviction that without the support that we received from the town of Abilene, Abilene Christian College would not be here today. When I left at the close of 12 years, the town as a town, not including the members of the church, had more money invested in Abilene Christian College by far than the whole brotherhood of the church together. And without that we could not have accomplished what was accomplished. They did not refuse us ever one cent that we asked for, and we asked them for money over and over again. I doubt seriously if there is another community in all of the state of Texas where at the time and under the conditions that existed Abilene Christian College could have been built. But some way the citizens of this town had learned the value of schools and colleges and they were ready to support us in every proper way. There were not many churches then." Survivors include his wife of the home, 542 EN 18th; one son, Jesse Mac of El Paso; one granddaughter and five great-grandchildren. The family requests that remembrances be in the form of contributions to the Sewell Bible Library at ACC. --- Abilene Reporter-News July 5, 1969.
Gospel preacher and educator. --- Jesse P. Sewell Rites Set Monday --- Funeral for Jesse P. Sewell, 93, known by many as the "father of Abilene Christian College" and the president emeritus of that institution, will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the College of Christ. Officiating will be Dr. Don H. Morris, president of ACC; Dr. Paul Witt, ACC professor emeritus of chemistry; Lawrence Smith, ACC business manager; and Walter H. Adams, dean at the college. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of Elliot's Funeral Home. Born Jan. 21, 1876, in Viola, Tenn., Mr. Sewell died at 1:05 a.m. Friday in the extended care unit of West Texas Medical Center. The son of William A. and Nancy Sewell, he enrolled in Viola Normal College at the age of 15, earning tuition by doing janitor's work although he weighed only 87 pounds. When the family moved to Corsicana in 1892, Mr. Sewell stayed behind to battle a severe eye infection which nearly blinded him. He joined them later, but returned to Tennessee in 1894 to enter Nashville Bible Institute, now David Lipscomb College. There he met his first wife, Daisy McQuigg Sewell. Mr. Sewell returned to Corsicana after graduation, working for the Chamber of Commerce and preaching part-time. When a full-time preaching job opened with the Pearl and Bryan St. Church of Christ in Dallas, he moved there in 1903. He became secretary and treasurer of Southwestern Christian College at Denton in 1904, bringing him closer to his life's goal: "I was interested in building a Christian College from the day I left Nashville," He said during his 90th birthday celebration in Abilene. A case of tuberculosis forced him to seek a different climate within a year, and he chose San Angelo, preaching there for a small Church of Christ there and building up a successful fire insurance business despite his doctor's advice to quit work entirely. Although no one could explain how, he conquered the dreaded TB. Mr. Sewell accepted the presidency of Childers Classical Institute (now ACC) in 1912 with the understanding that trustees would not put any more money into the school and that he would have to assume full financial responsibility. Accepting the challenge, Mr. Sewell put all his money, and that of his wife, into the school. "I still had that dream of establishing a school for members of the Church of Christ and I was conceited enough to think maybe I could do it just a little better than anybody else," he once said. At the same time he was establishing Abilene Christian as a strong school, Mr. Sewell made major contributions to state education. He helped get a bill passed in the Texas Legislature getting the work in two-year colleges recognized and accepted. Previously the junior college had no legal standing in Texas. Through his efforts in 1917, a law was passed authorizing junior colleges to qualify their students for teaching certificates. He was also instrumental in getting a state law passed enabling standard colleges to determine their own course requirements. Mr. Sewell taught Bible while he was at Abilene Christian, as well as looking after fund raising and serving as president. His wife was dean of women, taught art and high school Bible, prepared and supervised meals for the entire student body, and operated Daisy Hall - named in her honor with the help of a matron. There was only the brick administration building with eight rooms and the Childers mansion, and some debts, when Mr. Sewell became president in 1912. When he left, there were five brick buildings and a $100,000 subscription. Mr. Sewell began suffering from gall bladder trouble in 1924, and was told his life depended on getting away from the pressures a college administrator must face. So he resigned and took a preaching job with the Southside Church of Christ in Fort Worth. He stayed only a short time, moving to the Fifth Ave. Church of Christ in Corsicana. Bronchitis forced him to move on to San Antonio. Mrs. Sewell died in 1944, and Mr. Sewell then went to California for several years, conducting revivals and educational workshops. In 1948 he married Mrs. Maxie McDuffle Runnels whose husband had been a deacon at Grove Avenue in San Antonio before his death. The couple went to Harding College in 1950, where Mr. Sewell taught religion before two heart attacks forced him to retire. He returned to Abilene in 1957. That year Mr. Sewell established the Sewell Bible Library in the Abilene Christian Library by donating 2,000 of his books to the college. The total has since grown to more than 3,000 works. For his 90th birthday in 1966, friends of the president emeritus donated $2,370.90 toward purchase of books for the Sewell collection in his honor. Mr. Sewell and his wife have donated $75,000 to Abilene Christian through their will. The money will be invested, with the annual income from the principal being used to purchase volumes for the Sewell collection. When he resigned in 1924, he left an institution which had grown from 100 to 441 students and one in which the worth of the physical plant had grown from $25,000 to $250,000. In 1956 at the 50th Anniversary Homecoming of ACC, Mr. Sewell spoke and delivered a significant compliment to Abilene. He said: "Nothing has been said about the city of Abilene in these speeches so far. I want to say something. I think there is something there that should never be forgotten by the administration and by the Board of Trustees of this institution. It is my conviction that without the support that we received from the town of Abilene, Abilene Christian College would not be here today. When I left at the close of 12 years, the town as a town, not including the members of the church, had more money invested in Abilene Christian College by far than the whole brotherhood of the church together. And without that we could not have accomplished what was accomplished. They did not refuse us ever one cent that we asked for, and we asked them for money over and over again. I doubt seriously if there is another community in all of the state of Texas where at the time and under the conditions that existed Abilene Christian College could have been built. But some way the citizens of this town had learned the value of schools and colleges and they were ready to support us in every proper way. There were not many churches then." Survivors include his wife of the home, 542 EN 18th; one son, Jesse Mac of El Paso; one granddaughter and five great-grandchildren. The family requests that remembrances be in the form of contributions to the Sewell Bible Library at ACC. --- Abilene Reporter-News July 5, 1969.
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