Biography
William Everett Derryberry (1906-1991) served as the President of Tennessee Technological University from 1940 to 1974. He managed the university through disruption during World War II, growth in enrollment after the war, physical expansion of the campus, integration and student movements during the 1960s and 1970s, and the university’s name change from Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in 1965.
Derryberry was born in Columbia, Tennessee, to Bonnie McDonald Derryberry (1883-1959) and Felix O. Derryberry (1881-1934). He graduated from Central High School in 1924. He attended the University of Tennessee from 1924 to 1928, where he played football and tennis and was a member of Sigma Chi. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in 1928. He attended St. John’s College of the University of Oxford from 1928-1932 as a Rhodes Scholar, with a one-year break during the 1929-1930 academic year to study voice at the Nashville Conservatory of Music. He was captain of the Oxford tennis team, played lacrosse, and performed with the Oxford University Opera. He earned a B.A. from the University of Oxford in Language and Literature in 1932 and completed the requirements for a M.A. in 1933. He worked as an English professor and football coach at Burritt College in Spencer, Tennessee, from 1932 to 1933. He married Gertrude Joan Pitt-Rew on August 5, 1933. He accepted the position of Head of the English Department at the University of Tennessee Junior College at Martin in 1933. He served as coach of the football team from 1934 to 1936. Derryberry accepted the position of Head of the Department of Language and Literature at Murray State Teachers College in Murray, Kentucky, and moved in September 1938.
The Tennessee State Board of Education elected Derryberry as President of Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in November 1940. He formally earned a M.A. in Oxon in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford in December 1940. Derryberry and his family moved to Cookeville in late December and he began serving as President. During World War II, he served as the Regional Director of the United Service Organizations (USO) and National War Fund.
Beyond Tennessee Tech, Derryberry served as Chairman of the Tennessee College Association Legislative Committee from 1943 to 1945. He was President of the Tennessee College Association from 1945 to 1946 and President of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association from 1946 to 1947. He also served as Chairman of the Tennessee Water Safety Congress, Chairman of the Presidents’ Council of Tennessee State Colleges and Universities, on the Tennessee Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee, and on the Board of Directors of the Citizens Bank of Cookeville. He served on visiting committees for the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Self-Studies in the 1960s and 1970s. He led the congregation of Collegeside Church of Christ in singing. He was active in the Tennessee Democratic Party.
Derryberry earned a honorary Doctorate of Literature from University of Chattanooga in 1965 and a honorary Doctor of Laws in English from Pepperdine College in 1967.
From 1973 to 1974, Derryberry oversaw the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaccreditation self-study for Tennessee Tech. Derryberry retired on September 1, 1974. He was inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 1977. He served as an officer of Tennessee Technological University Dormitory Corporation in the late 1970s and 1980s and on the Board of Directors for the General Telephone Company of the Southeast in the 1970s.
Derryberry had two children: Walter Everett Derryberry (1935- ) and June Elisabeth Derryberry Walker (1937- ).
Found in 29 Collections and/or Records:
Content Description
From the Collection:
This collection includes various Tennessee Tech programs, pamphlets, fliers, booklets, guides, brochures, and ephemera created by the University. Archives created the collection to deal with various materials that either had no obvious home in University Archives or materials that had provenance at one point, but it was lost over the years. Rather than move small, one-off items to a larger collection, which requires a large amount of work, the archives created this to collection to deal...
Dates:
1973
Unprocessed Material
Identifier: 2022-0015
Scope and Contents
From the Collection:
Bills, resolutions, constitutions and bylaws, meeting records, scrapbooks, and photographs of the Tennessee Tech University Student Government Association and its predecessor, the Associated Student Body.
Dates:
1972-1980
Collection
Identifier: RG-0000-0027
Abstract
The collection documents William Everett Derryberry’s term as President of Tennessee Tech University (1940-1974) and his personal and professional life outside of the university. He managed the university through disruption during World War II, growth in enrollment after the war, physical expansion of the campus, integration and student movements during the 1960s and 1970s, and the university’s name change from Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in 1965.
Dates:
1912 - 1987; Majority of material found within 1940 - 1974
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
Materials in the Photographs series were curated by Alumni Relations and Development staff for use in publications and events. Most of the photographs were originally taken by Harding Studios and Tennessee Tech Photo Services. Many of the photos include crop marks and notes.
Dates:
1948 November
Unprocessed Material
Identifier: 2020-0012
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
undated
File — Box 37, Folder: 47
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
circa 1949-1953
File — Box 37, Folder: 44
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
circa 1945-1949
File — Box 37, Folder: 51
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1973, undated
File — Box 37, Folder: 48
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1973 October 3
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1974 May 30
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1966
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
circa 1942-1943, 1962, undated
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1930s-1940s
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1959-1972, undated
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
1959-1972, undated
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
undated
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
undated
Content Description
From the Collection:
Tennessee Tech University Department of Foreign Languages annual report, brochures, correspondence, newsletters, photographs scrapbook, reading files, self-studies, syllabi, website, and foreign language student organization flyers. The reading files were organized by Phillip J. Campana while he was chair of the department and were intended to contain a copy of everything created by his office as chair. The reading files are incomplete.Digital materials can be accessed online at:...
Dates:
circa 1961-1963
File
Identifier: RG-0000-0009
Scope and Contents
Preprocessing notes: The folder titled "teacher load and enrollment" is the class schedule before it was printed from 1960-1968. See bulletins for inforamtion regarding this after.
The THEC index and minutes give details on faculty hiring and leave, building construction and naming.
American Council on Education folders hold a breadth of information regarding disabled veterans on campus.
Dates:
1927 - 1993
Record Group
Identifier: RG-0000-0068
Collection — Box 1, Volume: 1-3
Identifier: RG-0000-0181
Dates:
1941; 1980; 1955; 1956
Unprocessed Material — Folder 1-2
Identifier: 2017-0066
Dates:
1941; 1980; 1955; 1956
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Photographs series contains prints and negatives depicting campus buildings, students, athletic teams, Derryberry and his family, and events. Also included are printing mats and blocks of formal Derryberry portraits. Some of the campus prints are photographs of graphite drawings of buildings and maps. Many of the negatives from 1942-1943 appear to have been printed in the Class of 1942 and 1943 yearbooks. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically by date...
Dates:
undated
File — Box 277, Folder: 18
Scope and Contents
From the File:
Preprocessing notes: The folder titled "teacher load and enrollment" is the class schedule before it was printed from 1960-1968. See bulletins for inforamtion regarding this after.
The THEC index and minutes give details on faculty hiring and leave, building construction and naming.
American Council on Education folders hold a breadth of information regarding disabled veterans on campus.
Dates:
Other: 1951 - 1962
Unprocessed Material — Folder 1
Identifier: 2021-0098
Digital Work
Identifier: c5e4a53b-ff36-496e-be46-c81f7f76dbf5
Unprocessed Material
Identifier: 1988-0004
Dates:
1914 - 1976; Majority of material found within 1943 - 1974
