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William Carey University mourns the passing of one of its longest-serving and most dedicated faculty members. Dr. Benjamin Waddle died on Dec. 14, 2022.
Dr. Waddle served William Carey University for more than 50 years, including eight years as athletic director. In 2016, Waddle was inducted into the WCU Sports Hall of Fame.
In April 2017, WCU dedicated the Ben Waddle Sports Facility, a multi-purpose building that houses the track and field, cross-country and volleyball programs. When Waddle retired in 2019, the WCU Board of Trustees passed a resolution naming him Professor Emeritus.
“I had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Waddle during my years as dean of education at William Carey University. His longevity in the profession, and his love for Carey and his students, made such an impression on me. He has literally impacted generations of educators – and he will be missed by all of the Carey family,” said WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett.
The road to William Carey
Waddle’s tenure at William Carey University started in 1967, when he accepted a position as full professor and chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
The Tennessee native graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He began his long career in education the same year, teaching in his home county of Greene County, Tenn., as a physical education teacher and coach until 1953. From George Peabody College, he earned a master’s degree in physical education in 1955 and a specialist degree in education in 1959.
He continued teaching in public schools throughout the South until 1965, when he enrolled as a doctoral student at Florida State University. Upon receiving a doctor’s degree in education in 1967, Waddle met with then-WCU President Dr. Ralph Noonkester and joined the faculty.
Waddle always said he had no idea how Noonkester found him.
“I don’t know how that happened. I was on vacation in South Carolina for two weeks and had applied at the University of West Florida – but somehow Dr. Noonkester contacted me and convinced me to meet with him at Carey. When I got here, it was a much smaller place. It’s amazing how much we’ve grown in 45 years,” Waddle said in a 2012 interview.
After visiting what was then William Carey College, Waddle accepted the position he would hold for more than five decades.
Waddle would tell anyone who asked that he looked forward to every day at William Carey: “I just like to work. I love teaching. I love working with students. All I wanted was to be successful in education and help students prepare for a long, successful life.”
Dr. Waddle’s lasting legacy
WCU head basketball coach Steve Knight said Dr. Waddle touched thousands of lives – both students and colleagues.
“His family and my family both moved to Hattiesburg in 1967. We’ve known the Waddles forever and think very highly of their family. Dr. Waddle hired me. He was interim athletic director at the time and I was a grad assistant. I had a good background in basketball, but didn’t have a lot of experience. They sort of rolled the dice and now I’m in my 41st year at William Carey,” Knight said.
“Dr. Waddle was a great mentor, not only for myself, but for other William Carey coaches. We could go to him about anything and he’d give us great advice. He helped guide students, those in his classes and student athletes as well. He was always out here, very hands-on, supporting our teams.”
Dr. Greg Bullock is current chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
“Dr. Waddle taught many, many people during his long career, including me. I was a student at William Carey in the late ’70s. I returned to Carey as a faculty member in 2007 as an instructor, and I worked side-by-side with Dr. Waddle,” Bullock said.
“Before I came, he didn’t have any full-time help. He advised all the physical education students about their schedules by himself and they loved him. He was always available. He didn’t mind stopping what he was doing to answer a question – and I had a lot of questions over the years as he helped me transition to his job, chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He helped so many people, but he didn’t make it known.”
Waddle was also active in community and in academic circles, serving as a life member of the National Education Association. He was a member of the Mississippi Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and Phi Epsilon Kappa Professional Fraternity. He served at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church as a Sunday school teacher.
Funeral arrangements: Visitation will be Dec. 21 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church, 2420 Hardy Street in Hattiesburg. Funeral service follows at 11 a.m. at the church.
Cutlines:
Dr. Ben Waddle, center, visits during Homecoming 2019 with members of WCU’s National Championship 1969 baseball team – Steve Proffer and Clyde Dearman.
Dr. Ben Waddle speaks to guests at the dedication of the Ben Waddle Sports Facility in April 2017.
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