Office of the President. Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Records
Biographical and Historical Note
Dr. Thomas Kermit Hearn was a native of Alabama, born in Opp, Alabama on July 5, 1937. He graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a degree in English and philosophy and earned a divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Hearn taught philosophy at William and Mary for ten years before joining the faculty at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1974 to start the philosophy department. There he served as dean of the School of Humanities, vice president, and finally senior vice president for non-medical affairs.
In 1983, Hearn was named twelfth president of Wake Forest University, succeeding Dr. James Ralph Scales. He arrived at a time when Wake Forest was poised to make big changes. During his tenure, he began what was then the largest building program on the Reynolda Campus since it had been constructed, guided Wake Forest to end its governing relationship with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and become an independent school, established a Divinity School, led the Plan for the class of 2000 program that provided a laptop to every incoming student, and hosted two presidential debates in 1988 and 2000.
Hearn was also very involved in the local community, chairing organizations such as Leadership Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem Business, Inc., and numerous others. He supported the expansion of the Piedmont Triad Research Park where Wake Forest has a large presence and worked with others to help improve the lives of the people who live in Winston-Salem.
By focusing efforts on fundraising as well as sustained commitment to developing professional schools, Hearn moved Wake Forest from being a regionally-known school to a nationally-known one. The teacher-scholar model was central to his efforts and the resulting programs to enhance the undergraduate's experience at Wake Forest make that apparent.
Hearn was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2003 and underwent surgeries and treatments that put his cancer into remission. He retired in 2005 as planned, and died in 2008 after the tumor recurred.
Collection Overview
The collection documents Hearn's time as President of Wake Forest University, 1983-2005, as well as a limited amount of materials after his retirement in 2005, though most relate to his role as University president emeritus. Scholarly writings from his time as a professor and a limited amount of items related to his family life are also present.
Material types include correspondence, programs, publications, memorandums, news clippings and photocopies, speech notes, speeches, . A great deal of memorabilia, particularly related to his roles in the national collegiate sports scene, are included in the collection.
While notes are provided on the correspondence files, topics and correspondents are not exhaustive.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 10 series: Series 1. Biographical materials, Series 2. Correspondence, Series 3. Event planning, speaking, and related materials, Series 4. Memorabilia and display materials, Series 5. Photographs and video recordings, Series 6. Printed materials and clippings, Series 7. Restricted files, Series 8. Speeches, Series 9. Subject files, and Series 10. Writings and Publications. Most of the series have subseries.
Items are arranged in alphabetical, chronological, or reverse chronological order.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processing begun by Mary Anne Ramsey and completed by Vicki Johnson, 2009 January
- Revision Description
- Revised by Stephanie Bennett, Katie Lawrence, and Justin Cabiltes, 2021
- Conditions Governing Access note
- Collection is open for research, with the exception of a limited amount of correspondence and a box of appointment books. Restricted materials will be opened 50 years after Hearn's death, in 2058.
- Copyright Statement
- 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
- Office of the President. Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Records (RG 1.12), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.