The Great Kilgo
| Introduction | John Carlisle Kilgo arrived on campus in August, 1894, as Trinity's fourth president, the second to lead the school since it relocated to Durham. Thirty-three years of age, he already had a reputation in Methodist circles as a committed churchman, fiery orator, and up and coming educator. Kilgo caught the attention of the search committee at Trinity College because of his success as the financial agent for Wofford College, a Methodist school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. There his charge was to increase endowment and awaken greater interest in the school, similar needs of Trinity. In 1894, when President John F. Crowell resigned, Trinity was heavily in debt because of the relocation, and dependent on annual donations by the Duke family which was thought to be disillusioned by the surprisingly large financial needs of the college. |
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