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Dr. Franklin R. Shirley: Politician and Professor

Patrick F. Speice Jr.

May 8, 2003

HST 162: History of Wake Forest

Dr. Ed Hendricks

Dr. Franklin Shirley joined the faculty of Wake Forest College in 1948 as a Professor of Drama and Theatre in the English Department. His tenure at Wake Forest lasted until the early 1980s, and he is perhaps one of the most well known professors of the time. His contributions to the Drama Department are notable as he vastly improved the quality of the program following the College’s move to Winston-Salem in 1956. Moreover, he expanded the communications program at Wake Forest, and was instrumental in the establishment of an independent Speech Department and the revival of Wake Forest’s radio station. He served as the Director of Debate for the first 19 years of his tenure, and it is largely through his efforts that the debate team thrived and became recognized as one of the nation’s foremost programs. Perhaps most impressively, Dr. Shirley was very active in politics, serving multiple terms on the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen and as mayor of Winston-Salem during his tenure at Wake Forest. His undying commitment to educating students about the importance of rhetoric, government, and public service was complemented by his religious conviction. His enviable work ethic and impressive contributions to numerous academic programs at Wake Forest have earned him a reputation as one of the most influential professors of the second half of the twentieth century.

Brief Biography

Franklin Ray Shirley was born on June 17, 1914, in the small town of Glencoe, Kentucky. Son of William Franklin and Ollie Boss Shirley, Franklin was raised in the Baptist Church and educated in the public schools of Kentucky. He attended Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1938 with majors in English and education, as well as minors in speech and history. Subsequently, Professor Shirley concluded one year of post-graduate work focusing on education administration at the University of Cincinnati. Following a brief hiatus from his formal education, he attended Columbia University, earning his master’s degree in speech and theatre in 1948. It was in this year that he was appointed to an instructorship position in the Department of English at Wake Forest College. While at Wake Forest, Professor Shirley earned his PhD in speech and history from the University of Florida in 1959. His doctoral work focused on the public rhetoric of North Carolina’s Reconstruction-era governor, Zebulon Vance (Who’s Who 861).

Prior to accepting the position at Wake Forest, Dr. Shirley had long served as a teacher at almost every level of education. From 1934 to 1943, he taught speech courses in the public high school systems of Owen and Cold Spring counties in Kentucky and Amelia and Sidney counties in Ohio. Dr. Shirley taught English and speech at the Baylor School for Boys in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1943 to 1946. At the end of his tenure at the Baylor School, he accepted a position as Associate Professor of Speech and Director of Debate at Carson-Newman College that lasted until his 1948 appointment to Wake Forest. Moreover, Dr. Shirley enjoyed a brief stint as a Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California in the summer of 1960 (Individual Faculty).

On August 11, 1944, Franklin married Mamie McNulty Mellichamp, a schoolteacher from Kentucky. Mamie was a very self-assured and strong woman, always willing to lend a hand to her husband’s academic pursuits (Wood online). Together, they raised three children named Susan Allene Shirley (born June 26, 1946), William McNulty Shirley (born November 2, 1949), and Elizabeth Rae Shirley (born November 17, 1952). The Shirleys brought their children up in the Baptist Church, just as Franklin had been raised. Many of his closest friends considered his religious commitment as one of his most valuable characteristics. In a eulogy delivered at Dr. Shirley’s funeral, Warren Carr, the pastor of Wake Forest Baptist Church, made it a point to repeatedly mention that Dr. Shirley had always seen himself as one that belongs to Christ, first and foremost. The Rotary Club of Winston-Salem issued a statement following Dr. Shirley’s passing stating that, “Franklin Shirley’s ideals as both professor and mayor were rooted in a steadfast religious faith. A devout and loyal member of his church, he believed in the application to life of the teachings of the Bible.” In fact, Dr. Shirley was a member of the Deaconate (which he chaired in 1967), he taught Sunday school for eight years at Wake Forest Baptist Church, and could be found every Sunday in the congregation (and occasionally at the pulpit) (Carr).

Franklin Shirley was also no stranger to the political sphere, serving on the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen from 1963 to 1970, and as mayor of Winston-Salem for two terms from 1970 to 1977 (“Losses” 2). An active member of the Democratic Party, Dr. Shirley was an activist for progressive change in the community, serving on numerous committees and councils to improve the quality of life in Winston-Salem. He was also the chair Wake Forest’s Urban Affairs Institute that focused on improving race relations and economic development throughout Winston-Salem. The Institute is well known for its contribution to overall development of Winston-Salem, and for establishing links between Wake Forest and the broader community via service projects (VanWagstaff). On February 26, 1985, Dr. Shirley passed away from an apparent heart attack, only several months following his retirement from Wake Forest after being named an Emeritus Professor of Speech Communication (“Losses” 2). Dr. Shirley will certainly be remembered for his selfless and caring personality, as well as his numerous and impressive contributions to the Winston-Salem political scene and the academic development of Wake Forest University.

Political Life

In 1963, Franklin Shirley won his first elected office, joining the ranks of the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen (Brantley 21). He would serve two terms in this regard before being elected mayor of Winston-Salem in 1970 and re-elected in 1974 (Shorter 1). Moreover, Dr. Shirley was a member in a number of other public service organizations that focused on improving Winston-Salem. In addition to his service in elected offices, Dr. Shirley was an activist for Democratic politics. Personal correspondence with Paul A. Smith, the Faculty Fellow for the Democratic National Committee and Benet D. Gellman, Regional Coordinator for Southern States in support of the Johnson-Humphrey national presidential ticket, demonstrate that Dr. Shirley was an active participant in the local effort to get out the vote in support of Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey in the general election of 1964. A letter to Hubert Humphrey confirms this fact, and the ticket carried North Carolina that November (Gellman).

The 1970 mayoral election was one that was hotly contested, as the incumbent mayor would be retiring, leaving the election wide open. Dr. Shirley ran against William Graham of the Republican Party and Wilson Faris of the American Party, winning by a margin of nearly 3,700 votes (Lassiter 1). His platform reflected his memories of the Great Depression, focusing on using government in progressive and constructive ways to improve Winston-Salem. The campaign saw Franklin Shirley argue for urban renewal, reduction in the unemployment rate, economic development, newly paved streets, and a streamlining of the government to provide more services without increased bureaucracy or additional taxes (Burroughs, et al.). The message was effective, and Dr. Shirley did not disappoint his constituents once in office. The success of his first term made a second one easily attainable in 1974, and when he left office in 1977, the list of his accomplishments is one that is as impressive as it is lengthy.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Dr. Shirley never left his teaching position at Wake Forest during his tenure as mayor (Lassiter 1,2). He simply scheduled his classes during the morning hours so that he could attend to his mayoral duties in the afternoon. This arrangement certainly made Dr. Shirley one of the busiest men in Winston-Salem, but it is merely a reflection of his incredible work ethic and devotion to education (Lee 15). In a faculty tribute to Dr. Shirley that was issued following his passing, several colleagues wrote that, “Above all, Franklin Shirley believed in the value of education. He was dedicated to the proposition that democracy can only survive on the bedrock of an informed electorate” (Burroughs, et al.) This linkage between education and democracy is indicative of the immense value Dr. Shirley placed on seeking to transmit knowledge to his students, even as he served in public office. Of course, as a lifelong scholar of rhetoric and communication, he believed that good speech was indicative of a well-educated person, and his academic endeavors reflected this belief (Shirley “Your Professional” and “Letter to Wake Forest Debaters”).

Wake Forest Professor of Drama and Speech

Dr. Shirley first arrived at Wake Forest College in 1948, at the old campus in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He had been appointed by President Thurman D. Kitchin to an instructorship in the division of speech and dramatics, a subsection of the English department, with a salary of $3600 for a one-year term (Kitchin). Dr. Shirley was recruited to join the department largely as a result of the efforts of Professor A.L. Aycock. A graduate of the Wake Forest Class of 1926, Professor Aycock served as the College’s debate coach, drama instructor, professor of English, and admissions officer. While experiencing a great deal of success with the debate team, Professor Aycock was overburdened by all of his duties and sought someone to relieve him of his role as Director of Debate (a position that he had originally taken only temporarily) (Shaw 245). Professor Aycock met Franklin Shirley on the national debate circuit as the Wake Forest squad regularly competed against Dr. Shirley’s teams from Carson-Newman College. Impressed with the accomplishments of Dr. Shirley’s teams, Professor Aycock prevailed upon him to accept an appointment to the English department, filling the roles of professor of speech, debate coach, and theatre producer (Shaw 206). Dr. Shirley accepted, and he joined the Wake Forest College English Department in 1948.

With the arrival of Dr. Shirley, the speech and drama division of the English Department prospered. Dr. Shirley was the first Director of Drama at the College, and he vastly improved the facilities for the presentation of plays, as well as the quality of the performances (Tedford online). Because of expanding interest in the theatre program, Professor Clyde McElroy was hired to assist Dr. Shirley in 1951. Classes in acting and stagecraft were added to the curriculum, and in 1953 it became possible to receive a speech and drama major from the English Department (Shaw 207, 316). In 1961, the Department of Speech was formally authorized as an entity independent of the English Department with Franklin Shirley as the first chair, a position that he filled throughout the Tribble administration (245-246). In 1969, graduate studies were added to the curriculum of the Speech Department (Burroughs, et al.).

Under the leadership of Dr. Shirley, the Speech Department expanded to include class offerings in TV and radio production (Shaw 245-246; Burroughs, et al.). It is largely through his efforts that WFDD-FM, Wake Forest’s public radio station, was developed. When Wake Forest College was transported to Winston-Salem in 1956, WFDD was given a suite of rooms in Reynolda Hall, though early transmission problems threatened to terminate the program (Shaw 315). Shortly after the Department of Speech was formed, Dr. Shirley worked with a former student, Julian Burroughs, to elicit funding from the trustees of Wake Forest to petition the FCC for an FM license with which WFDD would broadcast classical music and educational programming to the Winston-Salem area (Shaw 315). On March 13, 1961, the first FM broadcast was made by WFDD, and by 1966 its transmissions reached all the way to Charlotte (Shaw 315).

Wake Forest Debate Coach

It is perhaps in his role as debate coach that Dr. Franklin R. Shirley made his most lasting impressions at Wake Forest. At the time of his appointment in 1948, Dr. Shirley was primarily commissioned to relieve the duties of Professor A.L. Aycock as the College’s debate coach (Shaw 206). As mentioned above, Professor Aycock recommended Dr. Shirley for the position as a result of the competitive success of his teams at Carson-Newman College, a frequent opponent of Wake Forest in the 1940s. The arrival of Dr. Shirley revived and expanded the debate program, garnering national attention and placing the program amidst the ranks of the nation’s top debate teams (Shaw 311; Burroughs, et al.).

One of the most significant challenges faced by the debate program concerned the move to Winston-Salem from Wake Forest. The program finds its roots in the Euzelian and Philomathesian Literary Societies that each student was required to join while attending Wake Forest College in Wake Forest. The move to the new campus, however, opened up a much broader array of potential extracurricular activities, threatening to push the societies toward extinction (Shaw 310). While the original literary societies did see significantly reduced membership, the debate team thrived under the direction of Dr. Shirley following the move. The tradition of excellence that Wake Forest brought to the forensics circuit won accolades from the debate community, and the program’s excellence was further enhanced by the addition of skilled women to the team in the early 1950s (Shaw 311). In 1953, Virgil Moorefield concluded his senior year as one of the top ten debaters in the nation, being chosen to represent the United States in one of the first international contests to be held in London. In 1959, the debate team won the Carolina Forensics National Tournament at the University of South Carolina, taking nearly every first place prize available. In 1963, Wake Forest was granted its charter into Tau Kappa Alpha, the national forensics fraternity (Shaw 311; “Abbreviated” online).

It was not exclusively in the realm of competitive success that Franklin Shirley contributed to the debate program, however. In 1951, Dr. Shirley revived the Summer Debate Workshop for the training of high school students in the art of debate and public speaking (Perry online). The one-week workshop was expanded to a four-week enterprise in 1961, and has continued to the present. Dr. Shirley initiated the practice of holding “practice” debates during the workshop to prepare students for tournament competition, and he gave a speech arguing for other similar workshops to adopt the practice (Shirley “Role of”). The workshop not only teaches the art of debate to high school students, but it also introduces them to college life and frequently leads the participants to seek admission to Wake Forest following their high school education. This tradition of attracting the finest debaters from the ranks of the high school debate community has helped ensure the competitive success of the Wake Forest program (Perry online).

In addition to the Summer Debate Workshop, Dr. Shirley initiated the hosting of two competitive tournaments each year, one for high school students and one for college students. In 1956, the Dixie Classic Tournament was founded, allowing Wake Forest to play host to the top debate schools of the college community for a weekend in the fall, and in 1957, an annual high school tournament was begun (“Abbreviated” online). Dr. Shirley hosted these tournaments with a particular eye for hospitality, a tradition that continues today. In 1983, the Dixie Classic begun with a banquet in honor of Dr. Shirley’s retirement from the profession, and in recognition of his accomplishments, the tournament was renamed the Franklin R. Shirley Dixie Classic (Lawrence “Professor”). To this day, debate teams from across the nation travel to Winston-Salem in the fall to compete at one of the most hospitable tournaments of the year, a sentiment reflected in the fact that the Dixie Classic has won the “Best Tournament of the Decade” award for both the 1980s and 1990s, as voted on by the college debate community (Southworth online).

Dr. Shirley’s contributions to the debate community were not limited to his coaching duties at Wake Forest. An ardent advocate of the importance of rhetoric and communication skills, he was a member in numerous organizations, most notably as an office holder in the Southern Speech Communication Association and as a founding member and president of the North Carolina Speech Association (Southern Speech Communication “A Lecture”). His numerous published articles defending the value of speech education demonstrate his commitment to the discipline and the practice of debate (Shirley “In Unity”, “Your Professional”). Dr. Shirley preferred to refer to debate as a cocurricular activity, as opposed to an extracurricular activity, arguing that debate was an educational enterprise, supplementing the classroom education of his students.

The tradition of oratorical excellence that began with the literary societies of the mid-1800s has always been a source of pride for Wake Forest. Perhaps no one contributed more to this tradition than Dr. Shirley, who served as Director of Debate for nearly twenty years. Many former students of his were invited to the banquet in his honor in November of 1983, giving them an opportunity to share memories and recall their time on the debate team. Many of those who could not make the banquet sent letters with humorous anecdotes or describing the value of their participation on the debate team. One theme is consistent among all former students of Dr. Shirley: he was a man of compassion, a friend to the students, and a fabulous educator. Many former students kept in touch with Dr. Shirley after they had graduated, and there is unanimous consensus that all who had the pleasure of interacting with Dr. Shirley are far better for having done so.

The contributions of Dr. Franklin R. Shirley to the Speech and Drama Departments and the Debate program of Wake Forest are second to none. His commitment to the education of his students is complemented by his selfless and caring personality. The lengthy list of accomplishments that filled the lifetime of Dr. Shirley is indicative of a work ethic that few possess. His students remember him as a teacher, motivator, and friend. His colleagues remember him as an innovative and successful educator. His political life supplemented his role as a professor at Wake Forest, and it is this combination of politician, professor, and friend that will cause Dr. Franklin Shirley to be remembered as one of the truly great figures in the history of Wake Forest.

Selected Bibliography

Note: Most of the materials listed here are located in the Papers of Franklin R. Shirley in the archives of the North Carolina Baptist Historical Collection of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Papers not listed here include resumes, project reports, and most of the letters (personal correspondence) that are not directly referred to in the text.

“Abbreviated Timeline – Wake Debate.” No date,

organizations/debate/HistoryPages/AbbreviatedTimeline.html

Brantley, Russell. “Franklin Shirley: Professor and Democrat.” Wake Forest Magazine January

1969: 19-21.

Burroughs, Julian, Donald Schoonmaker, and Donald Wolfe. “Franklin Ray Shirley 1914-1985.”

13 May 1985.

Carr, Warren. “Franklin R. Shirley.” Funeral of Franklin R. Shirley. Winston-Salem, North

Carolina. 28 February 1985.

Corbett, Leon H. “Franklin Ray Shirley 1914-1985.” Wake Forest Board of Trustees. 1 March

1985.

Corpening, Wayne, James Scales, and Edwin G. Wilson. “Franklin Ray Shirley.” Rotary Club of

Winston-Salem. No Date.

Corpening, Julius H. “Academic Urban Affairs Consortium.” Report. June 1970.

“Debaters Gather on Campus – The 3rd Annual Dixie 1958.” Old Gold & Black 8 December

1958:

Directory of American Scholars: English, Speech, and Drama. 8th Ed. Vol. 2. New York: R.R.

Bowker Co., 1982.

East, Bill. “Hizzoner, the Roast.” Winston-Salem Sentinel 15 October 1976: 1-2.

Francis, Clara Ellen. “Coed Debater Tells of Miami Trip.” Old Gold & Black 18 February 1952:



Gellman, Benet. Letter to Franklin R. Shirley. 6 November 1964.

Gray, Jim. “Civic Response Pleases Shirley.” Winston-Salem Sentinel 22 October 1972.

Hoar, Stephen. “Funeral Tomorrow for Franklin Shirley.” Winston-Salem Sentinel 27 February

1985: 11, 13.

Horowitz, Herb. “Priority Recommendations for Urban Affairs Action by Wake Forest

University.” Report. 17 April 1969.

Humphrey, Hubert H. Letter to Franklin R. Shirley. 14 October 1964.

Individual Faculty Data for Use of the Graduate Council, Franklin R. Shirley. 20 September

1967.

Kitchin, Thurman. Letter to Franklin R. Shirley. 2 August 1948.

Lassiter, Wingate. “Shirley Goes Right On Teaching.” Winston-Salem Sentinel 4 November

1970: 1, 2.

Lawrence, Keith. “Professor/Politician Honored by University.” Winston-Salem Journal 24

November 1983.

---. “Self-Acknowledged ‘Character’ Prepares to Retire.” Wake Forest Magazine February 1984:

32.

Lee, Linda. “A Wake Forest Professor in City Hall.” Wake Forest Magazine 1970: 15.

“Losses in the University Family.” Wake Forest Magazine April 1985: 2.

Perry, Percival. “In the Good Ol’ Summertime: The Summer Session at Wake Forest College.”

Wake Forest Magazine August 1994:

Scales, James Ralph. Letter to Franklin R. Shirley. 29 November 1967.

Shaw, Bynum. The History of Wake Forest College: Volume IV, 1943-1967. Wake Forest

University, 1988.

Shirley, Franklin R. “In Unity There is Strength.” Presidential Address. Southern Speech

Association Convention. April 1967.

---. Letter to Frank Church. 9 October 1964.

---. Letter to Hubert H. Humphrey. 1 September 1964.

---. Letter to Paul A. Smith. 23 September 1964.

---. Letter To Wake Forest Debaters, 1948-1967. December 1982. Debate Update December

1982:

---. “The Role of Practice Debate in the Summer Debate Institute.” Address. April 1969.

---. “Statement of Political Intentions.” Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 11 August 1977.

---. “Why Not Meet the Issues?” Speech Activities Magazine. Vol. 3. Spring 1951.

---. “Your Professional Heritage.” Address. East Tennessee Education Association Convention.

1 November 1963.

Shorter, Geoffrey W. “Former Mayor Shirley Dead at 70.” Winston-Salem Journal 27 February

1985: 1, 6.

Smith, Paul A. Letter to Franklin R. Shirley. 1 August 1964.

Southern Speech Communication Association. A Lecture Honoring the Memory of Franklin R.

Shirley 1914-1985. Hyatt Hotel, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 11 April 1985.

Southworth, William. “The Best of the 1980s.” The 50th National Debate Tournament. Eds.

Louden and Southworth. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Wake Forest University, 1984:

.

---. “The Best of the 1990s.” The National Debate Tournament: A Statistical History of the

N.D.T. 1947-1999. 2001:

.

Tedford, Harold. “A Brief History of Theatre at Wake Forest.” No date,



Urban Affairs Institute. “A Proposal to Develop a Master Economic Development Plan for the

Winston-Salem Target Area.” Report. 24 January 1970.

Van Wagstaff, J. “The Urban Affairs Institute: Its Role and Functions.” Report. 1969.

Who’s Who in the South and Southwest. 10th Ed. Chicago: Marquis-Who’s Who, 1967.

Wood, Martha. “A Great Friend of Wake Debate Passes.” December 2000:



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