Williams 1

Alex Williams
HIS 400, Dr. Payne
Democratizing Ole Miss
The term democratization is defined as, to make (something)
available to all people: to make it possible for all people to understand
(something)1. This term means making a place more appealing, this term
can be attached to many different organizations and some countries, but it
can also include institutions. Universities all over the United States strive to
keep their students in state, but they also like to have outside students as
well. Students from around the country help bring a culture to a university
that will improve the students socially when they leave. The idea is used by
universities around the world, usually brought about by the institutions
leader. These leaders as the head of their respected schools and have the
power to put a face on the university, the leaders are called president or
sometimes chancellor.
The president or chancellor of a university has many responsibilities
the students and also the faculty. This position has to be taken seriously
every day because of the major decisions that must be made that effect not
only the people on the campus, but those involved off-campus as well. This
person has to be able to make the difficult calls that come with the position,
this leadership role is seen no differently at the University of Mississippi. The
University of Mississippi calls its leader chancellor, this position is held to a
high standard and with great expectations. Throughout the history at this
university, also known as Ole Miss, there have been tremendous men to
1 Merriam-Webster, Web

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assume the role of chancellor and make Ole Miss great. The list is long, but
there is one man that stands out for building the Ole Miss population and
making the university open to the rest of country. This man is Joseph Neely
Powers, he was best known for continuing the idea of democratizing Ole
Miss for growth. I am a Methodist myself, [I need] a Baptist for this
position2, this was a popular remark Powers made, in a joking manner,
about how to run the university. Powers was at Ole Miss for many years and
the university growth can be seen easily when looking at what happened
during these years. Chancellor Powers took this position at Ole Miss in 1914
and changed the perception of the University of Mississippi to outsiders
forever.
Joseph Powers was a native of Havana, Alabama and he attended
many different colleges and universities during his early life. These colleges
included Louisville Medical College and the University of Chicago. Powers
also attended the University of Mississippi in 1901-1902 academic year,
while he was the superintendent of education at Grenada city schools. In
1907 Powers was appointed to the position of state superintendent of
education by the governor of that time. He was elected to this position in
1908 and reelected in 1912, this position was the springboard for Powers
future. Powers had two major achievements while in office, he helped found
the Mississippi Normal College at Hattiesburg, which later became the
University of Southern Mississippi, and he also established rural agricultural
high schools, which became the state system of community colleges. Powers
2 David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History, 196

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then received an offer to become the next chancellor of the University of

Mississippi on June 4, 1914, this was after the resignation of Kincannon.
Powers assured everyone he would continue the popularizing of the
university that Kincannon started and grow the student population, with this
statement Chancellor Joseph Powers began his administration at the
University of Mississippi.
When Chancellor Powers assumed the office he had to deal with the
morale of the university being the lowest in the schools history, and the
faculty friction was the highest. Powers knew he had to take on this issue
first and resolve these old problems before enacting new ideas. Powers
made response to the conflict in his first faculty meeting, Pardon me for
being so candid, perhaps so blunt, as to say with all emphasis, that if any or
you feel that you cannot deal with each other in a spirit as to always reflect
credit on the administration, than it might be well, if such there be, for them
sever their connection with the University at this time, rather than to bring
trouble later.3 With this statement Chancellor Powers was setting the
stepping stones for his tenure at the University of Mississippi. Powers knew
to create this university into a nationally known school he would need the
help of a great faculty who had the same hopes and work together. Also in
this faculty meeting Powers assures the employee he here to do the job, but
to also be a friend or whatever the faculty needs at that moment. He
assures the employees he will always be a person the faculty can turn too in

3 Faculty Minutes & Committee Collection, 13

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a time of need. He makes a remark of this manner during the same first
faculty meeting:
Again permit me to say that I am here to give you unreservedly, my
confidence, my friendship, my time, my talent, ready to support you, if
necessary, to defend you at any time and place.4
This statement was a boost in the morale of the entire staff that was
definitely needed during this time at the University for everyone to be on
board with Chancellor Powers and his vision for the school. The biggest point
of this meeting was Powers saying he is relying on the guidance of his faculty
because he has not been on campus nor does he understand the student
body like the employees. This was part of the vision for the university
Powers brought, he knew that the students have better relationships with the
teachers so he would take advantage of these relationships.
Arguably the most important accomplishment of Chancellor Powers during
the early years was the establishment of the School of Commerce and
Business Administration. This was the first time this university was offering a
major in business and this program was successful from the start. This
school brought in many students who would have looked for different
universities with a School of Business. This change in curriculum was
needed and change of the identity for the school was needed as well. Now
the school was offering more career choices than ever and this change
definitely helped the view of the University of Mississippi. Along with these
changes Powers also knew he needed to let the public in on what was going
on at the university.
4 Faculty Minutes & Committee Collection, 13

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Powers had a philosophy that he stood with him for a long time,
carrying the school to the people, and to fulfill this he started The
University Weekly Letter. This letter was made so the rest of the state
would know what was going on at the University of Mississippi. The letter
was delivered with the Saturday newspaper all over the state. It was made
up by various faculty members of a variety of topics, the evils of patent
medicine, Greek art, moral training in public schools, and even the benefits
of manufacturing. This invention of the letter carried out these ideas to the
faculty and the students so everyone on campus always felt they understood
what was going on around them. Chancellor Powers felt the university
needed to be relevant to the public because it was their tax dollars keeping
the establishment running properly and with a mindset for the betterment of
the student body. The only way Powers saw this to be possible was with
reaching out to the state with this letter. This weekly letter was not every
detail happening on campus and it was not every event that went on, but it
was an overall view to help people relate with what their tax money was
going too. Powers knew for the university to grow and become popular he
had to start within the state then go to outsiders.
With all these positives came times of negativity along the journey,
and many came very early in his career. One of the first problems dealt with,
after the morality of the staff, was the hazing going on among the fraternities
on campus. This problem grew to a much larger scale when the hazing
turned into a shooting on the campus. There were many people there, but
the three young men charged with the crime were Messrs, Johnson, and

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Hollingsworth. As a result of the hazing, these three were dismissed from

the school by Chancellor Powers, but appealed their case to the Board of
Trustees. This incident happened in December 1916 and when brought to
the attention of the Trustees they respond fairly quickly. The Board of
Trustees read into the case and stood behind the decision made by the
chancellor. When news got to the public that the board was standing behind
the decision of Chancellor Powers everyone praised him for his courage. An
article from a newspaper was making the greatness of Powers known to
everyone:
Be it further resolved, that the board would feel that it had let an
opportunity pass for bestowing worthy praise, were it not to
congratulate Chancellor Powers upon the great work he is doing at the
University, a work that has nearly doubled the number of homes within
the state in which the University is a familiar word.5
This statement was a starting point for Chancellor Powers to make his name
known along with the university. The chancellor was very quick to dismiss
these young men, but the decision seemed to be the right call. This was the
first of many statements to show Powers said what he thought with
confidence.
Chancellor Powers was a bold man who always spoke what his
intentions were, such as his predictions for the growth of the university.
Chancellor Powers felt that with confidence came results, this is why he was
so open about how the university would grow while he was leading. After the
largest student body in school history, when the five hundredth student
5 Faculty minutes & Committees collection, 116

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enrolled in 1914, Powers remarked that the enrollment would be up to six

hundred, then seven hundred the next year. His predictions rang true when
an enrollment of 641 students was seen in the fall of 1915. Most people
noticed a tremendous difference in the cost of tuition when the number of
students rose. The student body was growing, but the campus remained the
same size. It was found that some of the 641 students were living in
makeshift quarters in the basement of the Lyceum and in the old
gymnasium. Along with these problems, a large section of a boys dormitory
collapsed, not to mention when the Lyceum, Gordon Hall, and the chapel
were inspected they had many flaws that made them dangerous for any
student or faculty member. Despite the need of repairs and the temporary
living spaces in classrooms, the universitys enrollment continued to grow,
expect for the war years.
During these years there was a vast difference in the student
population because of the number of young men going to war. Although the
university did not grow during the war years, Chancellor Powers did make
World War I his top priority. This was made clear when Powers held a faculty
meeting in January 1918 and declared the military committee had complete
control on whatever regulations they needed. With the war on the minds of
every person at the school it was difficult to keep the focus on making Ole
Miss popular.
The need for updates around campus were being noticed by everyone
and the problems were only going to get worse. The Mississippian, the
school newspaper, complained when they found out so many applicants were

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denied by saying the university had been shamefully and deplorably

neglected by the state legislature.6 The university was obviously in bad
shape all the way around, but especially the need for more dormitories and a
new science building was needed. The science building, built in 1856, had
only 144 desks for 205 students in a freshman chemistry class. Chancellor
Powers knew all of these buildings needed to be repaired so he said the
university needed at least $750,000 for capital construction to put it firmly
on its feet.7 This was a bold statement for the Chancellor because for the
state to give the university this amount of money in 1919 was a huge deal.
This much money in 1919 was more than many people thought possible for
the state government to even come up with.
This idea leads to a group of advisors from the state department came
to the school to see if the repairs were really needed as badly as reported.
Upon coming to the university the group offered a different idea, consolidate
the 3 major universities in Mississippi into one large, new university in the
state capital, Jackson. This idea seemed to be good for the state because
they would save money, have one large university, and the flourishing town
of Jackson was a good host. The idea also made since for the Board of
Trustees because they were the group who had to look over the development
of the states universities. Around half of the board members were from the
Jackson area, so this consolidation of the Mississippi universities was the best
plan of action.
6 David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History, 199
7 David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History, 199

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The Board of Trustees had a very difficult decision on their hands now.
These men are trying to look out for the good of the state and the
institutions it holds, but with the lack of support from most of the public it
was hard to say what needed to happen. These men had important jobs of
keeping the statistics for each university; many people felt the board just
wanted less work. The board was responsible for giving annual salary
statements of the employees and leaders of the universities in Mississippi.
This was a good way to make the salaries known on paper so they could be
responsible in case of an argument over money. This responsibility for the
money of the institutions is seen again by the historical sketches, lists of
expenses, and any other information the universities needed to know, some
issues even had the daily schedules of classes. With all of this paperwork,
the theory of a large university in the center of the state was ideal.
The university was not with the board on this idea; so many theories
to restructure the higher education in Mississippi came up in the 1920
meetings. Chancellor Powers now had to deal with this issue of keeping the
university in Oxford, while also trying to maintain the school itself from
literally falling apart. The most popular idea tossed around was known as
the Sheldon-Zeller bill. This proposed to consolidate the three white
colleges into one university at Jackson, the Industrial Institute and College
would be continued in Columbus as a junior college for women8. This bill
was not enacted which meant the lawmakers were back to no ideas on how
to fix the problem. Chancellor Powers was not a supporter of the Sheldon8 David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History, 200

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Zeller bill because the university was in a good place at Oxford. He also
realized the university was growing rapidly where it was and he was
popularizing Ole Miss to the entire country. The problem did not go away
though, with buildings still falling apart and other universities needed money
to repair. The legislature had to consider the large $2,000,000 appropriation.
This would give the universities all the money needed to get the repairs done
and even construct new buildings. The board and legislature finally gave in
and came to a conclusion, The legislature in 1920 appropriated the sum of
$712,000 for the erection of dormitories and a laboratory for the department
of chemistry and the school of pharmacy.9 With these new funds Chancellor
Powers launched a new construction program which built a chemistrypharmacy building, four boys dormitories and one girls dormitory. This
money got Chancellor Powers back on track with the idea of democratizing
the University of Mississippi by giving the appeal of a school on the rise.
The Mississippian, after hearing about large portion of money the
legislature was giving to the university, reported that the legislature was
beginning to care for its neglected child.10 With this new dormitory space
the University of Mississippi increased its enrollment to the highest in the
schools history to over 700 and an incredible 850 the next fall. Chancellor
Powers was getting everything done he had promised by growing the
university and democratizing its appearance to the entire nation. His task

9 Board of Trustee Reports and Minutes, 19

10 David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History, 201

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would continue to show difficulty as he dealt with issues surrounding the

school.
Chancellor Powers had another issue come up the following year. In
the spring semester of 1921 he was accused of not being morally,
intellectually, and professionally11 unfit for his positon. These allegations
came from an employee also, Professor Roswell W. Rogers. Rogers said
Powers was lying about his degrees and that he was having an affair on the
weekend at a hotel in Jackson. This case was brought first to the attention of
the Board of Trustees, who were not completely convinced, but had to put
Chancellor Powers on trial because of the rumors. The case took many
weeks and many testimonies from different individuals, the only one
agreeing with Rogers was a lady by the name of Herren. Mrs. Herren was the
lady accused of having the affair with Chancellor Powers and she actually
testified these rumors were true. Although when she took the stand to
testify she fainted from the cross-examination, which should have showed
everyone she was lying. Mrs. Powers also stood by her husband the entire
trial and knew he was innocent, this as a big moral boost for the supporters
of Powers and the University of Mississippi. At the end of this trial Alfred
Hume, who would later proceed Powers as Chancellor, would testify against
Rogers by saying he was a womanizer. This testimony and the one of W.L.
Pope, owner of the hotel in Jackson, it would be clear Mrs. Herren was the
mistress of Rogers. This would lead to the end of this case and a decision
that would clear Chancellor Powers of all allegations. After the trial Professor
11 David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History, 207

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Rogers was fired, but Chancellor Powers would continue as the leader. This
scandal would be a setback for the democratizing of the university, but
Powers would continue to fight through the adversity and continue the idea
of making the University of Mississippi a place for everyone.
Chancellor Powers had many different tasks on his hands including dealing
people who would become very important to the rest of the country
eventually. These students were maybe the two most unusual students in
America. The first being a lady by the name of Mrs. Minerva Farmer from
Brooksville in Noxubee County. She came to the university in the fall of 1915
at the age of seventy-tree. This was after a thirty-three-year teaching
career, she wanted to get a degree in home economics. She has attended
Iuka Normal Institute and many summer teacher institutes at several
colleges prior to her arrival at Ole Miss. Mrs. Farmer would get her fifteen
minutes of fame when she was named the oldest college student in America.
This fame also brought the University of Mississippi to the public around the
nation. Chancellor Powers knew he wanted the nation to notice the school
for the academics, but putting Ole Miss on the map came about in a different
way first. Mrs. Farmer played an important role in showing this university
was diverse and open to all people across the country, which was an
important check point in the growth Powers wanted to see here. This lady
would impact the democratization of the university more than she ever
thought; she came for her own intellectual growth, but instead grew the
popularity of the University of Mississippi.

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The next, and very well-known, student that Chancellor Powers would
develop a relationship with was a young man by the name of William
Faulkner. Faulkner grew up in the town of Oxford and actually dropped out of
high school. He started taking classes at the university after given special
permission from Chancellor Powers in 1919 and became the Post Master of
the University Post Office in 1921. This relationship between Powers and
Faulkner would not be very pleasant, but nevertheless Faulkner did influence
people to see the University of Mississippi in a different way when he left.
Williams Faulkner was not the only person considered for this position.
His father, M. C. Faulkner, worked for Chancellor Powers and actually asked
him to recommend his other son, M. C. Faulkner Jr. Both Faulkner boys
applied to become the University Postmaster in 1921, but only one would win
the position. Chancellor Powers responded to M. C. Faulkner and told him he
would choose the best candidate for the job and not to worry. This letter to
Powers was written on October 24, 1921 and a little over a month later the
result of William Faulkner named the next University Postmaster was
announced. Faulkner was only 24 when he took this position and had many
responsibilities at a very young age. This position was held at a high
standard because it was the only way of communicate during this time.
Along the way, Chancellor Powers is confronted with many complaints
concerning the way Faulkner does his job. These comments would help
develop a relationship which saw Powers frustrated and Faulkner trying to
cover his mistakes.

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After the first few months of Faulkner being postmaster, a man by the
name of Phil Stone asking the state Senator John Sharp Williams to support
Faulkner in his work. Stone had many reason for his letter asking for the
support of Faulkner, the first one he points out is getting Faulkner into
politics with the postmaster job. Stone thought this job would help him care
more about politics and be involved, after all his uncle was a judge and his
grandfather on the Board of Trustees. Stone makes a bold statement about
Faulkner and his lack of concern for politics:
It is true that his uncle, Judge John Faulkner, of this place, is quite
prominent in the faction opposed to us in politics, but this young man
takes no interest in politics whatever and never votes except when I go
get him and make him vote the way I want him to.12
Obviously Stone is claiming Faulkner cares nothing about politics and that
effects the senator directly. He points out that Faulkner never goes to vote,
this is a problem for a senator looking for re-election. He also says when
Faulkner does vote he votes the way Stone wants him to, so he is saying if
the senator does nothing for Faulkner he will lose two votes for sure in the
next election. The first point was mainly to get Senator Williams to listen to
the rest of this letter by bribing him in a way. The last of this letter turns into
Stone almost begging him to support Faulkner because he is something
special. Stone knows Faulkner has a special talent for writing and realizes
with this job he will have some time to work on his writing also. Stone at the
very end of this letter tells the senator exactly how he feels about Faulkner:
12 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, Phil Stone, folder 25

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This young man is one of my dearest friends and is, I believe, a man
of considerable talent who will develop into something worthwhile if he
has the time and money to devote himself to his writing.13
With this statement Stone was connecting Senator Williams with the idea
that his support for Faulkner will pay off in the long run because he is a
special writer. Stone saw something special in Faulkner and took the
responsibility of acting on it.
The first letter seen between Powers and Faulkner was written on June 27,
1922. A summer day at the University of Mississippi and the relationship
between these two men was just beginning. This letter was written by
Faulkner to Powers to answer his question about the mail he had sent about
a week ago, Powers said the mail had not been received yet. At this point
Powers was not really upset, just wanted to know where his mail was and
why it had not been sent. Faulkner first responds with, I am unable to ace
count for the facts of the enclosed compliant, unless it be that this matter
was improperly mailed.14 This statement shows the mindset of Faulkner
postmaster for the first time, he was putting the blame of the late mail on
someone else. Faulkner was telling Powers that it was not his fault and he
was doing all that he could to get him envelopes. Faulkner actually puts the
blame on the Chancellors delivery man, Perhaps it would be well to instruct
Calvin to be sure he has deposited first class mail in the proper mail box, lest

13 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, Phil Stone, folder 25

14 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, William Faulkner, folder 1

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this happen again.15 Faulkner puts all the blame on Calvin, he says he put
the mail in the fourth class mail box when it was first class mail. This shows
Powers the character of Faulkner, but he does not dislike Faulkner yet. Also
Faulkner could be trying to be on a front that he really cares about this job
and he takes it seriously. Faulkner may try to convey he will not be giving
out favors, no matter the person asking, which if this message is seen by
Chancellor Powers the relationship would have went down quickly.
The next letter is from Chancellor Power to Faulkner on September 27, 1922.
This letter contains the beginning of the complaints that will swarm around
the University Post Office the entire time Faulkner is the head of the office.
Powers was now hearing complaints that the office was being run poorly and
Faulkner was the reason the mail was late getting anywhere. This issue was
becoming a problem and Powers just wanted answers from Faulkner. In this
letter Powers reminds Faulkner what the University Post Office is for in the
first place, As this office is solely for the convenience of the faculty and
student body, it should be conducted to suit the convenience of these
bodies.16 Powers was telling Faulkner the significance of his job and that he
needed to take it seriously. This job was not something to do for money, but
for the faculty and students to use for communication while they were at the
school. Powers had everyone else and their convenience as his first priority
and he was trying to get Faulkner to display that same urgency when taking
care of the matters of this Post Office. This office was the only means of
15 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, William Faulkner, folder 1
16 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, Joseph Powers, folder 3

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communication most of these individuals had which meant every letter sent
was important to someone. This was not the first or the last of the
complaints about Faulkner and the Post Office.
Powers next letter to Faulkner was written the exact same day, September
27, 1922, except the second one was not as nice. Another letter on the
same day can only mean an apology or more criticism, and this letter was
not close to an apology. This letter from Powers was another round of
complaints, but these were solely from the student body. The students felt
that Faulkner was not doing his job to get the letters out quickly or getting
the letters to them. Powers tries to be nice when he writes this saying, he
has no complaints yet17, but the facts are stacking up against Faulkner, the
students are speaking out now and they are upset. Powers tries to
encourage Faulkner, once again, to realize the importance of his work to the
school community. He states in the letter, With the large number of
students on the campus, it behooves you to be careful and accurate in
making up and distributing mail.18 Powers knew the student body was
growing and he wanted the growth of the university to continue, but a bad
name for the University Post Office would not looked good. At this point
Powers was telling Faulkner the complaints in hopes he would strive to be
better and make the office better for everyone. The plan of Powers was
unfolding in front of him, but another speed bump had formed. This would

17 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, Joseph Powers, folder 4

18 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, Joseph Powers, folder 4

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begin the unraveling of the small relationship Chancellor Powers and William
Faulkner had at the start.
It would be almost a complete year before the letters between Powers and
Faulkner began to fly again. A letter written by Powers on April 6, 1923
shows his compliant of the lack of small envelopes in his office. This seems
to not be a problem for Faulkner to deal with, except for the fact Powers
ordered a large amount of envelopes a long time ago. This obviously is not a
huge problem, but it does worry Powers because of the recent complaints
surrounding Faulkner and his ability to run the post office. The problem is
starting to effect the entire school by this point and Powers knows he will
have to deal with it soon. This letter is a friendly reminder that his order
still has not arrived and it should be here. Powers knows Faulkner is not
quick to do work and this is why he questions the order. Powers is trying to
get the point across that the order itself is not the problem, but the person
delivering. Powers would see this problem continue throughout the tenure of
Faulkner as Postmaster and it is clear the problem is Faulkner being
irresponsible.
Faulkner does respond to the letter from Chancellor Powers, but his
response takes eight days. Faulkner does not write the response until May
14, 1923, he took over a week to just respond to the complaining letter. The
fact that he took this long shows the overall laziness of Faulkner and the
carefree spirit with which he ran the University Post Office. This letter from
Faulkner actually questions the ability of Powers or his secretary on ordering
these envelopes. He ask is the order was done correctly or if the order was

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duplicated. Faulkner is now almost insulting the intelligence of Powers and

his staff by placing the blame on them. Once again Powers is shown the
character of Faulkner in a situation where the mail is late, Faulkner blames
someone else for the mistakes. Faulkner either honestly does not know
where the mail is or he does not care about the delivery. Faulkner is very
irresponsible because most people by this point would have already been
fired for their lack of respect for the mail and others, especially how he
blames the Chancellor for the mistake. Powers is now very upset with the
way Faulkner is running the post office and begins to question Faulkners
ability to do any job.
A few months go by before the next letter exchange between Powers
and Faulkner, four to be exact. A letter is written by Powers to Faulkner on
August 7, 1923 with concerns to the delivery time of the catalogues to the
teachers. The catalogues are not being handled properly and Powers hopes
Faulkner can tell him why this is the case. In this letter Powers still stays
calm with Faulkner by just asking for reasons, I merely make this compliant
in order that you may clear this post-office of any blame if none is attached
to it.19 Powers is obviously frustrated with the postmaster services of
Faulkner by this point, but still wants him to give an excuse for why the mail
is not delivered promptly. These catalogues are important for the teachers to
have for their classes, so they must be delivered as soon as they arrive. Any
normal postmaster would see the importance of these catalogues and give

19 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, Joseph Powers, folder 9

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special attention to the matter. This letter could be the last chance Powers
gives to Faulkner to own the issue and say he will fix the problem.
Faulkner is not a man who likes to take the blame or someone accuse him of
a wrong. He is not a man to say he will fix a problem either. Faulkner is an
intelligent man though, he knows how to turn the problem onto someone
else or give a valid excuse as to why something did not happen. Faulkner
responds to Powers in a similar fashion, like all the other letters. He gives an
excuse as to why the catalogues are late getting out. Faulkner tells Powers
there are many laws and regulations20 to how mail delivery works. Again,
Faulkner is almost insulting the ability of Powers to understand how the mail
works. Faulkner is very blunt with Powers in this letter by also telling him if
they need to be delivered sooner, then the catalogues need to be marked.
Faulkner also wrote this response the next day, August 8th. This was a rapid
response time for Faulkner considering he usually took a week to write back.
This is because Faulkner was maybe getting tired of the letters from the
Chancellor questioning his ability to run the post office. The tensions
between Faulkner and Powers were starting to get worse, and the pride of
Faulkner was beginning to engulf him. This relationship had taken a turn and
there was no coming back, each man was discontent with each other.
The letter from Faulkner was received and for the first time there was
another letter written by Powers. Powers was upset about Faulkner not
taking the blame for this because it is his responsibility to get the catalogues
out, but also because Faulkner tried to cover his excuse with regulations.
20 Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection, William Faulkner, folder 10

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Powers was angry that an employee was telling him the rules of the post
office and even to mark something if he needs it delivered faster. In this
letter Powers is stern and quick to the point, he is trying to get across to
Faulkner that he is not happy. Powers tells Faulkner to send the catalogues
promptly, as soon as he gets them. Powers also relays the message of how
important these catalogues are to again show him the urgency needed at his
position. Powers is getting close to making the decision to remove Faulkner
because of his lackadaisical work ethic. Faulkner had no concern of others
and does everything on his own time, these are the factors that irritate
Powers the most about Faulkner.
Only five days after this brisk exchange, Powers writes Faulkner again
to tell him there was a box of fruit sent by his wife that did not make it to the
destination until the fruit was spoiled. The problem of the University Post
Office was now personal to Powers, the other complaints were from the
faculty and students. Now that the problem was personal Powers more upset
than ever with Faulkner, but he did keep calm and asked Faulkner who he
needed to complain to for this occurrence. Powers was giving Faulkner one
last opportunity to confess his flaws with the mail and take responsible
action. This was the final nice way of asking Faulkner to tell the truth that
Powers would lend out.
A response by Faulkner happens the same day for the letter from
Powers. Faulkner tells Powers that the mail was sent correctly and on time
from the university, so the railroad service is to blame. Faulkner actually
tells Powers he needs to complain directly to the overseer of the railroad, the

Williams 22

Superintendent of Railway Services. Faulkner gives a rude sense when

reading this letter because of the intenseness and quickness of him pushing
the blame onto someone else. He usually did put the fault on another
person, but not quite the way he did this time. The next day, August 15,
1923, Faulkner actually fills out the form for lost mail. This form is for the
recovery from the railroad service or the railroad service telling an individual
what happened to the mail. This report was made only one day after
Faulkner is accused of losing the mail by Powers, which means he either was
covering himself or this time it was not his fault. Faulkner was upset and
could just have been using the report as an excuse to show he was doing his
job, but whatever the motivations he did finally take some form of
responsibility by filing the report.
Faulkner would soon resign from his positon after this last incident with
Powers. When dismissal rumors were surrounding Faulkner word got to Phil
Stone. When Stone heard
Faulkner was close to being fired, he pleaded with the senator again to keep
Faulkner in office because he would leave soon anyway. Faulkner did finally
resign as the University Postmaster on October 31, 1924, and after this he
left for New Orleans and Europe for his writing career. The relationship of
Faulkner and Powers was one that no one else acquainted with either man
could understand. The relationship was respectable at first, but as the years
went on the letters became more hateful and mean spirited. These men
were complete opposite personalities, Faulkner was laid back and carefree
while Powers was a man who liked to get things done fast. Even with a

Williams 23

relationship that would bring an end to William Faulkners time at Ole Miss,
they managed not make a bad name for themselves through fighting.
Faulkner was even praised for his work, he was voted Hardest Worker in
the 1923 Whos Who contest by the student body. Faulkner was a man the
students could relate to because he was young, but he also gave them the
attitude needed during stressful school periods. Powers may not have
approved of the work by Faulkner, but he should be grateful for the popular
identity Faulkner brought to this campus.
Chancellor Joseph Powers was the leader of the University of
Mississippi when the university needed true leadership to continue the
growth. His career was incredibly difficult; he dealt with one problem after
the other. Although it was hard, he strived through the end and everyone
knew he would be this persistent with the job when appointed. The board
did not have any other candidates for this position because they knew who
they wanted to run the University of Mississippi. Chancellor Powers came
with a kind heart and a tender voice to the faculty and community about how
working together would help achieve the goal. This community effort was
easier said than done, the controversy surrounding Powers would follow him
all the way to the end. Many of these events happened around the same
time when looking at the dates, if not the same exact time period then they
happened one after another. Powers had no breaks with this position and he
prevailed to prominence by overcoming the criticisms. Chancellor Powers
would even be asked to come back for a second term in 1930, but this time
he only lasted two years before leaving.

Williams 24

Powers died on October 4, 1939, but his legacy would continue to

touch the lives of people at the University of Mississippi. A conversation
between Mrs. Powers and Chancellor J.D. Williams is recorded in 1954. This
meeting was arranged by Chancellor Williams to talk with Mrs. Powers about
the success of her late husband. This speaks volumes to the legacy of
Powers to the university because Williams would go on to become one of the
most well-known chancellors in school history. Mrs. Powers is very proud of
her husband and always stood beside his decisions while chancellor. She
first tells Chancellor Williams how Powers got the job so easily, In spite of
Superintendent Powers protests, he was urged to accept the position as a
man who could inspire confidence and furnish the leadership to build the
University.21 This was just the start of a meeting that would praise Powers
for his term as Chancellor and the growth he brought to the university. This
meeting was made so the university could have a historical sketch of the
progress made by Chancellor Powers. This progress could be seen with the
eyes when viewing the university, but the struggle and hard times during his
term could never be understood without this meeting and insight from Mrs.
Powers.
The biological sketch made of Chancellor Powers shows the positive times
that came along after the hardships were fought through. The good times
are highlighted by the festival in Oxford when the school reached its 800th
student after World War I. This was the highest attendance in school history
21 Chancellors Biographical Collection, folder 8, meeting of J. D. Williams and Mrs.
Powers

Williams 25

and Chancellor Powers was the man who brought the school to this point.
Also in this sketch is maybe the most important idea Chancellor Powers gave
to this university:
To Mr. Powers also should go the credit for the idea of developing the
University of Mississippi as the focus of the educational system of
Mississippi. To carry out this idea, he obtained the services of
architect, Emmet Hull, who prepared a pictorial chart showing the
University as the central point of the States system of higher
education, with the normal college and the agricultural high schools
drawing their guidance and leadership from the University.22
The development of the University of Mississippi as the center of the state
was the great accomplishment of Chancellor Powers. He did not accomplish
this alone, but he did put the university in the minds of everyone around the
country and made Ole Miss the flagship university.
This legacy is still seen on campus today also. Chancellor Powers had a
dormitory named after him in 1959. This mens dorm had a capacity of 116
students. Ironically the Powers had a dorm named after him when he was
the main contributor in the record breaking classes during his time as
chancellor. This building would continue to house men coming to learn at
this great university until the spring semester of 1989, at this time the
building was made the Computer and Information Science Department. This
houses the source of the computer science technology that comes from the
University of Mississippi still today.

22 Chancellors Biological Collection, folder 8

Williams 26

Chancellor Powers had a long term at Ole Miss and accomplished many
things, along with confronting controversy. People tend to focus of the
negatives of a chancellors term in office, but Powers provided this university
with guidance as she became larger and influential in the United States.
Powers had a goal of making the student body large by growing every single
year and he did this by the process of making the appeal of Ole Miss reach
out to everyone in the country. Along the journey he also had to deal with
much controversy, from William Faulkner to the building of an almost brand
new campus. Powers held on to the goals he set in front of himself when he
took the office of chancellor, and this made all the difference in the results.
People may not believe Powers was successful during his time at Ole Miss,
but no matter the different opinions, Chancellor Joseph Neely Powers
changed the face of The University of Mississippi forever.

Williams 27

23

Bibliography
David Sansing, The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial
History (University Press of Mississippi), 195-214
Faculty Minutes & Committees Collection (MUM00554) (Oversize Box
14, volume 14.1). Department of Archives and Special Collections, J.D.
Williams Library, The University of Mississippi.
23 The University of Mississippi: a pictorial history, Dr. Gerald W. Walton, folder 9

Williams 28

Board of Trustee Reports and Minutes (MUM00524) (Box 5).

Department of Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library,
The University of Mississippi.
Chancellors Biographical Collection (MUM00530) (Box 1, Folder 8).
Department of Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library,
The University of Mississippi.
David G. Sansing Collection (MUM00402) (Box 2, Folder 8). Department
of Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library, The University
of Mississippi.

Faulkner Postmaster Letters Collection (Folders 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10,

11, 12, 15, 21, 23, 25). Department of Archives and Special Collections,
J.D. Williams Library, The University of Mississippi.

The University of Mississippi: a pictorial history. Dr. Gerald W. Walton

Collection (Box 8, folder 9), Department of Archives and Special
Collections, J.D. Williams Library, The University of Mississippi.
Merriam-Webster. Web. Accessed May 02, 2016. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/democratization.