Emory & Henry College is pleased to announce the conferral of a posthumous honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree to Squire Miller Henry at the 2023 Commencement on May 6.
“Giving Squire Henry an honorary degree posthumously at commencement is a true honor. His dedication and loyalty to Emory & Henry, coupled with his decades of service to this institution, is part of the very foundation of the College,” said Dr. John W. Wells, president of Emory & Henry. “His impact was profound on the everyday life of students, faculty, and staff members. In celebration of his life and legacy, we are grateful to work with his family to honor Henry in this way. Squire Henry’s legacy will not be forgotten, and we are indeed grateful for all he did during his time as an extraordinary employee of Emory & Henry College.”
Henry was born into slavery in 1848 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, to Woodrow and Francis Henry. In 1868, he made his way to Washington County to work as a farm laborer for John Buchanan, who was teaching at the College. He soon came to work for the College as a porter and laborer and continued to work at E&H for 50 years. One of the many jobs Henry performed daily was to deliver coal to maintain the warmth of the halls of campus. In April of 1871, Henry married Mary Ann Brown, performed by the College president at the time, E.E. Wiley. Together they had 14 children and resided in Blacksburg, Virginia.
“Squire Miller Henry worked at Emory & Henry College most of his adult life and was dedicated to the people there,” said Mary Lampkins ’88 ’09, Henry’s great-great-grandaughter and a two-time graduate of E&H. “Though it wasn’t always reciprocated, he treated them with dignity and respect because that’s how he was raised. He persevered and he did what had to be done and after that, he did more.”
In his later life, he was honored with multiple citations and recognitions from the Emory & Henry community. Henry died in his Blacksburg home in December 1923. This year’s commencement ceremony observes 100 years since his passing. Today, his legacy continues to live on throughout the College and his descendants, four of whom have worked at E&H and one who is currently employed, and five of which graduated from the College, including Chandler Foster, who is currently enrolled.
“Several of his descendants have been a part of Emory & Henry as students and employees since his death. Because of his relationship with Emory & Henry, I know that he would be proud of that,” said Lampkins. “I must acknowledge the fact that this day has been a long time coming. Squire was born an enslaved person in 1848 and died in 1923. He probably never imagined that a member of his family would be a student at Emory & Henry. I’m sure he had hopes and dreams for them, for us, for me. I am the great-great-granddaughter of Squire Miller Henry, and I graduated from Emory & Henry College, not once but twice. This brings to mind the last few lines of Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, ‘Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.’ I received my degrees from Emory & Henry College in 1988 and 2009. It means the world to me to have my great-great grandfather, Squire Miller Henry receive his degree from Emory & Henry College in 2023. I am grateful to everyone that made this happen.”
Henry’s descendants and others rooted in the Blacksburg community share stories of his integrity, his commitment to the church, and his hard work for his family. Henry was instrumental in establishing the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which still meets in Blacksburg.
Over 30 descendants of Henry plan to attend the 2023 Commencement Ceremony and the oldest living descendant and great-grandaughter of Henry, Marie Lampkins, will accept the degree on his behalf.
The 2023 commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m. at Fred Selfe Stadium on the Emory campus. For more information on this year’s Commencement Ceremony or to view the live stream, please visit www.ehc.edu/commencement.
Squire Miller Henry is to be awarded a Posthumous Doctorate of Divinity degree at Emory & Henry College’s 2023 Commencement, marking 100 years since his death.
