Wake Forest Presidential Inaugurations, Past and Present

U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey (speaker), outgoing WF President Harold Wayland Tribble, and new WF President James R. Scales gather at the Inauguration of President Scales, April 11, 1968

The University’s Special Collections & Archives Research Room of the ZSR Library is sharing items from “Wake Forest Presidential Inaugurations, Past and Present” – including programs and photographs. The collection will be available through June 30, 2023. The exhibit is located in the Ammons Gallery (4th Floor, Reynolds Wing).

Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente is the 14th person to hold the position of University president since Wake Forest’s founding in 1834. Serving as Wake Forest’s president is a unique role, and a presidential inauguration is a special event. Wake Forest has held inauguration ceremonies for eight of its presidents, beginning with Thomas Pritchard in 1879.

The ZSR Special Collections exhibit is dedicated to all of Wake Forest’s presidents, whether they held an official inauguration or not. The collection gives insight into who they were, the impact they had on our University, and their eventual life path. For those who were officially inaugurated, items from the events, include luncheon menus, programs and photographs.

These selected materials from Wake Forest’s University Archives highlight the unique contributions of each of our past presidents. Items from President Wente’s inauguration will be added to the collection.

The Ammons Gallery is open during ZSR Library’s normal business hours.