“M” is for McKissick, James Rion (1884-1944). Journalist, educator, university president. A native of Union, McKissick graduated from South Carolina College and attended Harvard Law School before turning to a career in journalism. He was editor of both the Greenville News and the Greenville Piedmont. In 1927 he became dean of the School of Journalism at the University of South Carolina. McKissick was a beloved teacher and mentor to his students—who affectionately called him “Colonel.” In 1936 he became one of the few alumni named president of the University of South Carolina. He oversaw the construction of a new library and five dormitories as well as a general refurbishment of the campus. When James Rion McKissick died suddenly in 1944, the student body petitioned the university’s board of trustees to have him buried on the campus.
“M” is for McKissick, James Rion (1884-1944)
