William E. Partee ’25

Glovie Partee Gray

A generous gift of more than $250,000 from the estate of Glovie Partee Gray will further secure the future of the William E. Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies on the William Jewell College campus. Glovie Partee Gray, who died last year, was the sister of Partee Center founder William E. Partee. She was a graduate of Hardin College in Mexico, Mo., and was a strong supporter of Baptist causes, according to College attorney Ron Mullennix.

“She was a very gracious Southern lady,” Mullennix says, “well-read and interesting to talk to. Her gift will ensure the ongoing operation of the facility that preserves Missouri Baptist history.”

Dr. Milton P. Horne, professor of religion, was recently appointed Executive Director of the Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies following the retirement of former Executive Director Don Wideman.

“We believe that the college’s Christian traditions provide innovative opportunities for students to integrate faith commitment with a vigorous and open liberal arts education,” Dr. Horne said.

Dr. Horne’s work as Executive Director of the Partee Center includes facilitating the college’s ongoing commitment to the integration of faith and learning for faculty and students, expanding the resources of the center through grant writing, and continuing the center’s work as the archives for Missouri Baptist history. Dr. Horne will also continue to teach courses in the Department of Religion.

The William E. Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies was established at William Jewell College in 1981. The center lends an organized approach to the historical needs of Missouri Baptist churches and fosters an interest in Baptist history of the American Midwest. It provides professional leadership to the Missouri Baptist Archives, which has been housed at William Jewell College since 1885.

William E. Partee, a lawyer from Hannibal, Mo., and a 1925 graduate of William Jewell, gave the college a major gift to endow the Baptist Studies Center in 1985.

The center was renamed in Partee’s honor at that time. A descendant of Jeremiah Vardeman, first moderator of the Missouri Baptist Convention, the late Partee maintained a special interest in Missouri Baptist history throughout his lifetime.