Frederick Palmer Whiddon
Encyclopedia
Frederick Palmer Whiddon (March 2, 1930 - May 1, 2002) was the founder and long-time president of the University of South Alabama
, the first four-year state-supported university in Mobile
, Alabama
.
Whiddon was born in Newville, Alabama
. He was a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College
(B.A.
, 1952) and Emory University
(Ph.D.
, 1963). He held the position of dean of students at Athens State College
in Athens, Alabama
, when he took the job as director of the University of Alabama
's extension service in Mobile. Whiddon then spearheaded the drive to create an autonmous new university in Mobile. That university was officially begun in 1963 and taught its first classes in 1964.
Whiddon's 35-year tenure as the president of the University of South Alabama was marked by dramatic growth. The university came to comprise nine colleges and schools. One of those, the College of Medicine, opened in 1972 as the state's second medical school and re-established Mobile as a center of physician training in Alabama, a position it held as a monopoly until the early 20th century, when Alabam's original medical school (located in Mobile) closed.
Whiddon also founded the University of South Alabama Foundation to support the university's mission. The foundation amassed a huge endowment by the 1990s, primarily by depositing federal and state reimbursements to the university for medical services performed at its hospitals. After this technique became the subject of a lawsuit, the university and the USA Foundation agreed to spend the medical reimbursements only for medical-related purposes and to refrain from further diversion of medical reimbursements into the foundation.
Whiddon resigned as president of the University of South Alabama in 1998 under pressure from the university's board of trustees. He was succeeded by his long-time vice-president for services and planning, V. Gordon Moulton. Whiddon then became managing director of the USA Foundation. Under Whiddon the foundation was forced into protracted legal squabbling with the university over control of the foundation's assets and the timing and purposes for which they were being disbursed. A lawsuit was settled out-of-court in 2001; the settlement required the foundation to add new members to its board, including the president of the University of South Alabama, but it did not require the foundation to alter its asset allocation, management, or disbursements.
Whiddon died in Mobile on May 1, 2002.
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
, the first four-year state-supported university in Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Whiddon was born in Newville, Alabama
Newville, Alabama
Newville is a town in Henry County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 553.-Geography:Newville is located at .According to the U.S...
. He was a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College
Birmingham-Southern College
Birmingham–Southern College is a 4-year, private liberal arts college located three miles northwest of downtown Birmingham. Founded in 1856, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Approximately 1400 students from 30 states and 23 foreign countries attend the college...
(B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, 1952) and Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
(Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, 1963). He held the position of dean of students at Athens State College
Athens State University
Athens State University, located in Athens, Alabama, USA, is a two-year upper level university. Athens State is the only two-year upper level university in the state of Alabama. Thirty-three different majors are offered to junior and senior students....
in Athens, Alabama
Athens, Alabama
Athens is a city in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. According to the 2009 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 24,234...
, when he took the job as director of the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
's extension service in Mobile. Whiddon then spearheaded the drive to create an autonmous new university in Mobile. That university was officially begun in 1963 and taught its first classes in 1964.
Whiddon's 35-year tenure as the president of the University of South Alabama was marked by dramatic growth. The university came to comprise nine colleges and schools. One of those, the College of Medicine, opened in 1972 as the state's second medical school and re-established Mobile as a center of physician training in Alabama, a position it held as a monopoly until the early 20th century, when Alabam's original medical school (located in Mobile) closed.
Whiddon also founded the University of South Alabama Foundation to support the university's mission. The foundation amassed a huge endowment by the 1990s, primarily by depositing federal and state reimbursements to the university for medical services performed at its hospitals. After this technique became the subject of a lawsuit, the university and the USA Foundation agreed to spend the medical reimbursements only for medical-related purposes and to refrain from further diversion of medical reimbursements into the foundation.
Whiddon resigned as president of the University of South Alabama in 1998 under pressure from the university's board of trustees. He was succeeded by his long-time vice-president for services and planning, V. Gordon Moulton. Whiddon then became managing director of the USA Foundation. Under Whiddon the foundation was forced into protracted legal squabbling with the university over control of the foundation's assets and the timing and purposes for which they were being disbursed. A lawsuit was settled out-of-court in 2001; the settlement required the foundation to add new members to its board, including the president of the University of South Alabama, but it did not require the foundation to alter its asset allocation, management, or disbursements.
Whiddon died in Mobile on May 1, 2002.
Sources
- "Dr. Fred Whiddon of Newville", Henry County Tidings, Vol. IV, No. 41, by T. Larry Smith
- "South Alabama founder Fred Whiddon dies", Birmingham Business Journal, May 1, 2002
- "Facts about the agreement," Mobile Press-Register, August 12, 2001
- "Settlement made on USA lawsuit," Mobile Press-Register, August 11, 2001, by Bill Barrow
- "New chapter for USA to start today; University board expected to accept founding President Fred Whiddon's resignation this afternoon, launch search for replacement," Mobile Press-Register, July 29, 1998, by Ronni Patriquin Clark
- "Long-Time President of U. of South Alabama Resigns to Avoid Being Fired," Chronicle of Higher Education, July 31, 1998, by Julianne Basinger
- "Frederick Palmer Whiddon, Ph.D., D.Litt", Alabama Health Care Hall of Fame Honorees