Owen Fennell Herring Papers
Owen Fennell Herring was an alumnus of Wake Forest College (Class of 1913) and Professor of Religion at Wake Forest College, 1946-1963. This collection contains biographical and genealogical materials; professional and family correspondence; diaries, 1928-1936; education files; financial and legal documents; addresses and speeches; articles and miscellaneous writings; sermons and sermon notes; subject files; notes and notebooks; photographs; scrapbooks; newspaper and magazine clippings; pamphlets; programs and other collected items; and his professional files as professor of religion at Wake Forest College and Winston-Salem State University, and as pastor of three Baptist churches, Maysville First in Kentucky, Watts Street in Durham, N.C., and New Hope in Wake County.
Biographical and Historical Note
Owen Fennell Herring was born in Taylor's Bridge, Sampson County, N.C., on July 23, 1892, to Amos Repton Herring and Catherine Folsom. He attended Wake Forest College for bachelor's (1913) and master's (1914) degrees and received a doctorate from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor to Baptist churches in Kentucky and Candler, N.C., before becoming pastor of Durham's Watts Street Baptist Church (1939-1946). Afterwards Herring went on to become a professor of religion at the College (1946-1963) and Winston-Salem State University (circa 1962-1969). He was the recipient of the University's Medallion of Merit in 1981.
In 1932, Herring married Ethel Farrington McConnell (1905-2001), a native of Athens, Alabama, 1926 graduate of Rice Institute (later Rice University), and teacher of biology and bacteriology. Together the Herrings had four children: Owen, Robert, Ann, and Richard. Through Ethel Herring's brother, Addison Mitchell McConnell, the Herrings are related to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. Owen Herring died on January 23, 1987, and is buried in Winston-Salem.
Sources:
- "Ethel McConnell Herring obituary," Legacy.com via Raleigh News and Observer, 2001 August 9. Available at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/newsobserver/name/ethel-herring-obituary?id=35411813.
- "Founders' Day Convocation," Wake Forest Magazine, 1981 May. https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/58182.
Collection Overview
This collection contains biographical and genealogical materials; correspondence, 1919-1981; family correspondence; diaries, 1928-36; education files; financial and legal documents; addresses and speeches; articles and miscellaneous writings; sermons and sermon notes; subject files; notes and notebooks; photographs; scrapbooks; newspaper and magazine clippings; pamphlets; programs and other collected items; and his professional files as professor of religion at Wake Forest College and Winston-Salem State University and pastor at three Baptist churches.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by: John Woodard; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex, 2004
- Revision Description
- Revised by Stephanie Bennett and Nancy Sullivan, to improve biographical note, 2023
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Owen Fennell Herring Papers (MS393), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.