From left: John F.Truex '47, Everett’s brother; Kit Truex Mair '77,Everett’s niece;and Richard Truex '78,Everett’s nephew.

Dr. Thomas Hoenig, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Through the generosity of the Everett P. Truex Trust, William Jewell College established the Everett P. Truex Economic and Financial Forum.

The new endowed lecture series focuses on finance and economics, bringing one or more nationally recognized economists to William Jewell College each year.

The Everett P. Truex Economic and Financial Forum is a fitting way to honor Dr. Truex, who proudly served William Jewell College and the Liberty community. A 1938 Liberty High School graduate, Dr. Truex also was a 1942 William Jewell alumnus and charter member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He completed his master’s degree in 1945 at the University of Missouri and received a Ph.D. in 1961 from the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Truex served many years as an economics and statistics professor at several colleges including William Jewell, Oklahoma University and North Carolina. He retired as head of the business department at Louisiana College in 1984 and returned to Liberty, where he was active with the Liberty Symphony and his fraternity. He broadcast music from Jewell’s radio station, KWJC, until the age of 80, and remained active in his church as a deacon emeritus until his death in 2001.

“Eleven members of the Truex family have attended Jewell since 1880, and Dr. Truex was proud of his family and their College,” said Chad Jolly, Vice President for Advancement at William Jewell. “He was a faithful supporter who believed strongly in the power of a liberal arts education.  His endowed lecture series will be a source of enrichment for the Jewell community and for all the student generations that follow.”

At the inaugural Forum in September, Thomas Hoenig, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, served as the keynote speaker. Dr. Hoenig discussed the challenges of the U.S. economy before a luncheon audience of William Jewell students and members of the local financial community.

In his remarks, Dr. Hoenig chronicled what he called a “cascading series of events” leading to the economic crisis of 2008. “I don’t think there has been a more trying time in our financial system than there is today,” Dr. Hoenig said. “But the United States has encountered crisis before. It does still have, across the globe, the most resilient economy that is both able and willing to deal with crisis. I am confident we will work through this.”