Eben Alexander
Encyclopedia
Eben Alexander was an American scholar, educator, dean and ambassador.
Alexander attended the University of Tennessee (then known as East Tennessee University) for two years, entered Yale in 1869, and graduated from Yale
in 1873 with an A.B. He was initiated into Yale's Skull and Bones
in 1873. After graduation, Alexander returned to Knoxville and taught Greek at the University of Tennessee
, first as an instructor and then as Professor. In 1886, he moved to the University of North Carolina
, in Chapel Hill, where from 1886 to 1893 he was Professor of Greek language and literature.
In 1893 President Grover Cleveland
appointed him "Envoy Extraordinary, Minister Plenipotentiary, and Consul General to Greece, Roumania, and Servia" [sic]. As ambassador to Greece, he helped in the revival of the Olympic Games
, making the first cash contribution to the organizing committee, encouraging the participation of American athletes, and with his wife hosting numerous social events during the period of the games, which ran from April 6 to April 15, 1896.
On his return from Greece, Alexander resumed teaching Greek at the University of North Carolina. He introduced modern Greek into the curriculum and served as academic dean from 1900 or 1901 until the time of his death. Perhaps more importantly, he worked, both before and after his time in Greece, to improve the University's library, serving as supervisor of the University library in 1891-1893 and again from 1901 on. During his tenure as supervisor, a new Carnegie library was built, and the University hired its first real librarian, Louis Round Wilson.
In 1905 Alexander was inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece, an honor society at the University of North Carolina that was modeled on Yale's Skull and Bones
. During the academic year 1909-1910 Alexander's health began to fail. He took a leave of absence in the spring of 1910, returned to Knoxville, and there died on March 11, 1910. The University of North Carolina 1911 annual yearbook, Yackety Yack, was dedicated in his memory.
Eben Alexander's father, Ebenezer Alexander, was a prominent judge in Tennessee, and his grandfather, Adam Rankin Alexander
, was the founder of Alexandria, Tennessee
and a member of the House of Representatives
from 1823 to 1827.
Alexander married Marion Howard-Smith in 1874, and they had four children, two sons and two daughters. Alexander was the father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather of four Eben Alexanders, although his son, a Knoxville physician, is regarded as Eben Alexander, Sr. His grandson, called Eben Alexander, Jr., was a prominent neurosurgeon who served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Wake Forest University
from 1948 to 1978. Eben Alexander III is also a neurosurgeon and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School
.
Alexander attended the University of Tennessee (then known as East Tennessee University) for two years, entered Yale in 1869, and graduated from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1873 with an A.B. He was initiated into Yale's Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
in 1873. After graduation, Alexander returned to Knoxville and taught Greek at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, first as an instructor and then as Professor. In 1886, he moved to the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
, in Chapel Hill, where from 1886 to 1893 he was Professor of Greek language and literature.
In 1893 President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
appointed him "Envoy Extraordinary, Minister Plenipotentiary, and Consul General to Greece, Roumania, and Servia" [sic]. As ambassador to Greece, he helped in the revival of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, making the first cash contribution to the organizing committee, encouraging the participation of American athletes, and with his wife hosting numerous social events during the period of the games, which ran from April 6 to April 15, 1896.
On his return from Greece, Alexander resumed teaching Greek at the University of North Carolina. He introduced modern Greek into the curriculum and served as academic dean from 1900 or 1901 until the time of his death. Perhaps more importantly, he worked, both before and after his time in Greece, to improve the University's library, serving as supervisor of the University library in 1891-1893 and again from 1901 on. During his tenure as supervisor, a new Carnegie library was built, and the University hired its first real librarian, Louis Round Wilson.
In 1905 Alexander was inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece, an honor society at the University of North Carolina that was modeled on Yale's Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. During the academic year 1909-1910 Alexander's health began to fail. He took a leave of absence in the spring of 1910, returned to Knoxville, and there died on March 11, 1910. The University of North Carolina 1911 annual yearbook, Yackety Yack, was dedicated in his memory.
Eben Alexander's father, Ebenezer Alexander, was a prominent judge in Tennessee, and his grandfather, Adam Rankin Alexander
Adam Rankin Alexander
Adam Rankin Alexander was an American politician that represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia on November 1, 1781. He became a member of the Tennessee Senate in 1817...
, was the founder of Alexandria, Tennessee
Alexandria, Tennessee
Alexandria is a town in DeKalb County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 814 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
and a member of the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1823 to 1827.
Alexander married Marion Howard-Smith in 1874, and they had four children, two sons and two daughters. Alexander was the father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather of four Eben Alexanders, although his son, a Knoxville physician, is regarded as Eben Alexander, Sr. His grandson, called Eben Alexander, Jr., was a prominent neurosurgeon who served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
from 1948 to 1978. Eben Alexander III is also a neurosurgeon and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
.