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Former names | LeMoyne College Owen College |
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| Motto | "Gubernatio. Opportunitas. Inclino." |
Motto in English | "Leadership. Opportunity. Change." |
| Type | Private,HBCU |
| Established | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) LeMoyne College – 1871 Owen College – 1947 |
Religious affiliation | United Church of Christ |
| Endowment | $52 million (2020)[1] |
| President | Christopher B. Davis (interim) |
| Students | 609 (Fall 2022) |
| Location | ,, United States 35°07′18″N90°02′06″W / 35.12175°N 90.03495°W /35.12175; -90.03495 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Nickname | LOC |
| Mascot | The Magicians |
| Website | loc.edu |
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LeMoyne–Owen College (LOC or "LeMoyne-Owen") is a privatehistorically black college affiliated with theUnited Church of Christ and located inMemphis, Tennessee. It resulted from the 1968 merger ofhistorically black colleges and other schools established by northern Protestant missions during and after theAmerican Civil War.
LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School was founded in 1862, when theAmerican Missionary Association (AMA) sent Lucinda Humphrey to open an elementary school atCamp Shiloh (Tennessee) for free blacks and escaped slaves. This was one of more than ten schools founded by the AMA, an integrated organization led by black and white Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian ministers.
The school was established soon after the occupation of Memphis by Federal troops during theCivil War; they were based at Camp Shiloh outside the city limits to the south. First known as Lincoln Chapel, the school relocated into Memphis proper in 1863 from south of the city. In 1866 it was destroyed duringwhite race riots that broke out following the withdrawal of federal troops.
The school was rebuilt, and in 1867 it reopened with 150 students and six teachers. In 1870,Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798–1879), aWashington, Pennsylvania doctor, donated $20,000 (~$436,452 in 2024) to the American Missionary Association to build an elementary and secondary school for prospective teachers. LeMoyne, who was a notableabolitionist, traveled from his Pennsylvania home to visit the new school. He donated a clock for the school's tower. In 1871, the school opened in a new building at 284 Orleans Street and was named LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School.[2]
The Memphisyellow fever epidemic started in 1873 and took a toll on many school personnel.
Under the leadership of the third principal, Andrew J. Steele, the school enjoyed three decades of growth and development.[3]
In 1914 the school moved from Orleans Street to its present site on Walker Avenue.Steele Hall, the first building on the new campus, was erected that same year. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924. After developing a four-year curriculum, it became a four-year college in 1930. The LeMoyne College was chartered by the State of Tennessee four years later. Steele Hall was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1979, and the core of the college's campus was listed on the National Register in 2005.
Owen College was established as a junior college in 1947, when the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention bought property for that purpose on Vance Avenue. After they developed the facility, S. A. Owen Junior College opened at that location in 1954.
LeMoyne–Owen College was formed through the 1968 merger of LeMoyne College and Owen College, both private, historically black, church-affiliated colleges.[4]
In 2007, LeMoyne-Owen had management and accreditation problems due to a lack of financial resources. TheSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools placed the college on probation for two years.[5] In August 2007, the City of Memphis ensured the college would open for the fall 2007 semester by pledging $3 million in taxpayer funds to be added to other substantial pledges from theUnited Negro College Fund,Cummins, radio hostTom Joyner and theUnited Church of Christ. The donation pledge, approved by the City Council, aroused controversy. City councilmembers defended their actions as contributing to the city and its residents. The college's president Johnnie B. Watson said that the college has reaffirmed its accreditation. It had increased its endowment to 20 million dollars in 2014.
In July 2020, LeMoyne-Ownen College received the largest donation in its history. A $40 million pledge from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis quadrupled the college's endowment.[1] LeMoyne-Ownen's president called the gift "transformative" for all that the college does and can do. The Community Foundation will give approximately $2 million annually.[6]
LeMoyne College Historic District | |
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Walker, Hollis Price, Crown and alley to rear of Sweeney Hall,Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Coordinates | 35°07′15″N90°02′05″W / 35.12083°N 90.03472°W /35.12083; -90.03472 (LeMoyne College Historic District) |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Architect | George Awsumb;Tandy & Foster |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival,Modernist |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001215[7] |
| Added to NRHP | November 9, 2005 |
TheLeMoyne College Historic District is ahistoric district which was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2005.[7] It includes fourcontributing buildings and the 1936 campus quadrangle as acontributing site. It is roughly bounded by Walker, Hollis Price, Crown and alley to rear of Sweeney Hall.[8]
It includesSteel Hall, built in 1914, the oldest and original building on this campus, which was designed byTandy & Foster and is separately listed on the National Register.[9] It includes twoColonial Revival buildings, Brownlee and Sweeney halls, which were designed byGeorge Awsumb along with the quadrangle in 1936. Sweeney Hall is named for Frank J. Sweeney, college president during 1929–1942, and originally served as the president's residence.[8]
It includes the three-storyModernist-style Hollis F. Price Library, built in 1963, designed by architects Gassner-Nathan-Browne, named for Hollis F. Price, college president during 1943–1970.[8]
The college sponsors athletic teams (nicknamedMagicians) that participate in theDivision II level, in theSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) conference of theNCAA. The LeMoyne–Owen College Department of Athletics sponsors men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and tennis along with women's intercollegiate softball, basketball, cross country, volleyball and tennis. Men's volleyball was added in the 2025 season (2024–25 school year). The school's mascot is the Magicians.
In 1975, the LeMoyne–Owen College men's basketball team won theNCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship.[10] the school was then a member of Division III level of the NCAA. Up to this day, LeMoyne-Owen has been the only HBCU to win a national championship at that level.
LeMoyne–Owen College golfer Dominique Worthen was the first player in SIAC history to win the SIAC Player of the Year award, earn a selection to the All Conference Team, and earn the SIAC Conference Championship MVP award, and an All Tournament First Team award, all in one week. Worthen of LeMoyne-Owen also won the 2015 PGA Minority Collegiate Championship.[11]
| Name | Lifespan | Year | Notability | Referencing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Barbee | 1925-2002 | 1949 | Wisconsin legislator and civil rights activist | |
| Marion Barry | 1936-2014 | 1958 | former mayor ofWashington, DC and former Washington, DC City Council member | [12] |
| Henry Clifford Boles | 1910-1979 | 1927 | architect | [13] |
| Annie Marie Watkins Garraway | 1940- | 1958[note 1] | Mathematician who worked in telecommunications and electronic data transmission and philanthropist | |
| W. W. Herenton | 1940- | former mayor ofMemphis, Tennessee from 1992 until his resignation in 2009 | ||
| Benjamin Hooks | 1925-2010 | 1943 | former executive director ofNAACP | |
| Myron Lowery | former mayor pro-tem ofMemphis, Tennessee from July 31, 2009 – October 26, 2009 | |||
| Bert Maynard Roddy | 1886-1963 | 1910 | Memphis businessman and Civil Rights organizer | |
| Andrea Lewis Miller | 12th president of LeMoyne–Owen College | [14] | ||
| Ira Latimer | 1906-1985 | Taught at LeMoyne before becoming a lawyer and civil rights activist in Chicago | ||
| Larry Robinson | Current President atFlorida A&M University inTallahassee, Florida |
A $40M endowment gift makes history at LeMoyne-Owen, but Black colleges are plagued by decades of disparities. ... With it, LOC's combined endowments grew from $12 million to $52 million.
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