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A BJA Profile -
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Eunice Hutto was born in 1904, in Alabama. A brilliant woman, she entered Women’s College of Montgomery at 14 and graduated in 1923 when she was 18. She taught mathematics in public schools while earning her master’s degree from the University of Alabama. She joined the BJC faculty in 1928, was appointed head of the math department in 1929, and became Dean of the College and Academy Principal in 1932. Hutto continued her education in mathematics and educational administration at various colleges and received her doctor of pedagogy degree from Westminster College in 1939.
The academic program of Bob Jones College was somewhat disorganized when Hutto became Dean. Having earned the confidence of Jones, Sr., she was charged with organizing and standardizing the academics and initiating new programs. She decided which courses to offer, worked out class schedules, and mandated academic standards. Known for her brilliance, efficiency, precision, strength, and “polite stubbornness,” she helped to mold the academic programs of both BJC and BJA. Jones, Jr. attributes her work and drive to “the school really [beginning] to take shape.” Opening Faculty Meeting in Cleveland – It was Hutto’s second year as Dean of the College and Academy Principal. The meeting was held in the new Academic Building. After singing several gospel hymns, the 39 faculty and staff members in attendance each quoted a favorite Bible verse. Then “A short prayer service was held in which every one [sic] led in prayer.” After a brief history of the college, Jones Sr. presented “Prof. Jones, as Vice President and Miss Hutto, as Dean of the College.” Hutto then made seven, what she called “suggestions.” While some dealt with procedural matters, others dealt with the academic philosophy of the school. - “Teachers should avoid giving high grades to students unless they deserve it and should make their requirements stiff enough that only a small percentage of the class will make high grades.” - “Teachers should keep fairly complete records in the grade books which are to be turned in to the Dean at the end of the year.” - “Be firm with students from the beginning of school.” - “All teachers will be expected to report to the Dean next Monday morning relative to securing teacher certificates.” Following her comments, Jones Sr. reinforced the academic rigor Hutto described as he “called attention to the fact that we do not permit our students to loll around in class." – Faculty Meeting Minutes, Sept. 2, 1933. Hutto repeatedly encouraged the faculty to demand a high level of academic work and to avoid giving excessively high grades. At the time, the academic quality of a school was determined by what other schools accepted the transfer of credits and which schools accepted graduates for work on advanced degrees. Through her efforts, Bob Jones College degrees and credits were recognized by an increasing number of schools, including such colleges as Vanderbilt, Peabody, Princeton, and Union Theological Seminary. Under Hutto’s leadership, the Academy was accredited by the Florida and Tennessee Departments of Education and was able to award state-recognized diplomas.
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Jones, Jr. credits Hutto with his graduating from BJC. While he could recite long passages of Scripture and Shakespeare from memory, mathematics was another matter. Hours of private tutoring were needed to get Hutto’s future boss through college math requirements. 
Originally Hutto's office was in the new Academic Building. In Cleveland BJA's classes were held in this building.
Eunice Hutto - 1935
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Dean Hutto Says:
"High educational standards are more desirable when coordinated with high spiritual standards. While it is extremely difficult to emphasize the one without minimizing the other, it is possible to maintain high standards, both spiritual and educational. An educational program should have a definite purpose and a definite plan of progress for each year. Results should justify the program, and the methods used to attain it. - Vintage 1940 |
The Christian educational philosophy articulated by Hutto is in keeping with Jones' Sr. view for the schools. First, Christ should be at the center of all of the school's activities, and second, as encapsulated in the school's motto: "No college shall excel us in the thoroughness of our scholastic work . . ."
As was frequently the case, Hutto pushed for an organized balance with definite goals. Was the BJC and BJA educational methods successful? Hutto suggest one should judge by observing the graduates. Their success not only validated the program, it justified the methods the program used to reach the goals. |
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Hutto gave the Academy principalship to her assistant, Lillian Lee, in 1936. The 1937 Vintage was dedicated to Dean Hutto. She continued as Dean of the College until she married Jefferson Morelock in 1941. She then left the employment of the school and served as a member of the Board of Trustees for 2 years. Later she returned to teach mathematics and supervise student teachers in the College. From 1942-44 she also taught Academy math classes.
In a Chapel Talk in 1935, Jones Sr. spoke of differing views among the faculty balancing the school. “I might turn this school into a camp meeting, but Miss Hutto says ‘No, this is a college.’ So she keeps me reminded that this is a college and I keep her reminded that we have to keep our religion. . . . Two or three of the faculty pull this way and two or three pull the other way, and we pull against each other and stay in the middle of the road.” |
“A school should exist for, and meet the needs of, the individual student. . . . If we were like every other school in Tennessee, there would be no reason for our being in Cleveland. We exist and operate because we are different.” – Opening faculty meeting, 1936 |
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In 1947, Hutto retired. The school was moving to South Carolina, and she planned to remain in Cleveland with her husband and their newborn son. Three months before the school opened in Greenville, at age 42, she died of leukemia.
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The first published collection of Bob Jones', Sr's.“Chapel Sayings” was designed to be given to high school seniors as a BJC promotion. Jones, Jr. mentions the “state-approved High School” as he extols “facts” about BJC. Hutto speaks of the school’s academic success and its “unusual college spirit” which she credits largely to “the chapel hour.”
Information about Eunice Hutto is also found in:
- The Founding of BJC and BJA - Why Found A School - Finances
- BJA in Florida - Academics in Florida -
