Jack Early 
M.A. in Education, ’53 and Ph.D. in Education, ’56
Named to the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2006

While still in graduate school at the University of Kentucky at the age of 26, Jack Early was elected a State Representative from Whitley County to the Kentucky State Legislature and became Assistant Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. Jack Early served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1952 until 1964 and was one of the sponsors of the bill establishing the minimum Foundation Program for Education in Kentucky.  In addition, he introduced the first legislation to provide for retired teachers to teach thirty days in any school year without losing retirement benefits. 

Dr. Early began his career as a teacher of English and Speech at Hindman High School and served as Dean of Men of the Hindman Settlement School.  He became Dean of the Faculty at Athens College in Alabama at the age of twenty-nine.  Soon after, he became Vice President and Dean of Iowa Wesleyan College.

When he was 32, he became the youngest college president in the United States at Dakota Wesleyan University and was in that position from 1958-69.  He also served as President of Pfeiffer University in North Caroline and Limestone College in South Carolina.

Dr. Early has conducted workshops on motivation for teachers and administrators as an International Seminar Leader in numerous countries, teaches a course on leadership at McKendree College and conducts training programs at prisons throughout the United States.

In addition to being a member of the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni, he has received many honors and held numerous leadership positions within the service organizations he has been affiliated.  Some of these positions include:

Vice President and Executive Director of Education and Communication for Combined Insurance Company of America, Executive Director of Education for The American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C., President of the W. Clement Stone PMA Communications, Inc., and Director of Education of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

Jack has previously been inducted into the UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni.