William Lincoln Giles leaves a legacy of quiet strength

Dr. William Lincoln Giles, who served for a decade as president of Mississippi State University, died May 13, 1997, following a brief illness. He was 85.

Giles led the university from 1966-76, through one of the most difficult periods in the nation's, and higher education's, history.

Born in Oklahoma in 1911 and growing up in Little Rock, Ark., Giles earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Arkansas and a Ph.D. in botany at the University of Missouri.

Following Army service during World War II and stints with the Soil Conservation Service in Kansas and the Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, he came to Mississippi State in 1949 as manager of the university's Seed Technology Laboratory. Three years later, he moved to the Delta Branch Experiment Station at Stoneville, which he managed for nine years before returning to campus in 1961 as vice president for agriculture and forestry.

In 1960, Progressive Farmer magazine named him Man of the Year in Agriculture and three years later the American Society of Soil Conservation named him Conservationist of the Year. In 1966, the same year he became the university's 13th president, he was elected president of the Association of Southern Agricultural Workers.

Giles inherited from his predecessor, Dean Wallace Colvard, a university that was still largely agricultural and local in scope, but primed for growth and change.

The stage had been set during Colvard's tenure. Between 1960 and 1966, a spate of construction began at the university, the Mississippi State University Foundation was established, and the university's five schools became colleges. The first African-American student, Richard Holmes, enrolled in the summer of 1965.

When Colvard left in 1966 to assume the chancellorship of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Giles took the reins amid an air of expectancy. The university was poised to begin a new era.

For the next 10 years, under Giles' leadership, Mississippi State experienced a period of growth unparalleled in the school's near-century of existence.

Enrollment climbed from 8,000 to almost 12,000, with women and African-Americans accounting for most of the increase.

Some 35 buildings were constructed, enlarged, or renovated. New buildings included Allen Hall, McCool Hall, the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, and Humphrey Coliseum. The School of Architecture was established, as was the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Programs in teaching, research, and service were strengthened to meet changing demands, and the list of departments and majors grew dramatically.

Just as important in the long run were the less visible accomplishments.

The late '60s and early '70s was a time of unrest on college campuses across the nation, with demonstrations and riots mirroring a generation's demands for human rights and its opposition to the war in Vietnam. Thanks in large measure to Giles' mediating skills, Mississippi State worked through the period without violence and emerged as a progressive institution.

Giles by nature was a gentle man, but when grit was called for, he had plenty of it. When the Board of Trustees denied a request by students to have black civil rights activist Charles Evers speak on campus, Giles supported the students' case by testifying on their behalf in federal court, a stance that nearly cost him his job.

"He loved this state and this university," said President Donald W. Zacharias of his "dear friend and counselor.

"I recall on one occasion when we were working on a project, Dr. Giles said, 'Don, don't ever give up in your efforts to strengthen the university. I went through some battles and I'm ready to help any time you need my help.'"

Dr. Billy C. Ward, vice president for institutional advancement, admired his longtime friend's vision for the university. "Dr. Louis Wise and Dr. Giles were influential in my coming to MSU to help start the new College of Veterinary Medicine in 1976. Although these two men were very different in many ways, they shared the qualities of enthusiasm and vision for MSU and they were both men of unquestioned integrity. I was fortunate to have spent an evening with Dr. Giles in the home of Doris Wise just one night before he went into the hospital for surgery. That evening he shared with me his continuing dream for the possibilities of the university. Today, many of us stand on the shoulders of such men as Dr. Giles and Dr. Wise and, because of their efforts, we are able to see that their dreams are close to reality and that an even greater future lies ahead for this university."

Dr. Roy H. Ruby, vice president for student affairs, recalled Giles as "one of the finest individuals I have ever known. He was honest and hard working, and had a great vision for the university-yet, he was so kind to everybody, I don't think anyone ever knew Dr. Giles who didn't love him. He will be sorely missed in this community and by everyone who loves Mississippi State."

John Correro, executive director of the Mississippi State Alumni Association, said, "During Dr. Giles' term as president, we saw a great increase in enrollment at the university and, in addition, there was much renovation and new construction occurring on the campus. He was such an easygoing individual, very warm, and he made you feel that way. His demeanor and the concern and care that he had for alumni, friends, students, and faculty and staff make us proud to say that we served during his time as president of this university."