astronomy

LeMoyne–Owen College

LeMoyne–Owen College is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LeMoyne–Owen College rather than just read about it. In short: LeMoyne–Owen College (LOC or "LeMoyne-Owen") is a private historically black college affiliated with the United Church of Christ and located in Memphis, Tennessee. It resulted from the 1968 merger of historically black colleges and other schools established by northern Protestant missions during and after the American Civil War.

Key takeaways

LeMoyne–Owen College belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LeMoyne–Owen College to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LeMoyne–Owen College from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

LeMoyne–Owen College (LOC or "LeMoyne-Owen") is a private historically black college affiliated with the United Church of Christ and located in Memphis, Tennessee. It resulted from the 1968 merger of historically black colleges and other schools established by northern Protestant missions during and after the American Civil War.

History LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School was founded in 1862, when the American Missionary Association (AMA) sent Lucinda Humphrey to open an elementary school at Camp Shiloh (Tennessee) for free blacks and escaped slaves. This was one of more than ten schools founded by the AMA, an integrated organization led by black and white Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian ministers. The school was established soon after the occupation of Memphis by Federal troops during the Civil War; they were based at Camp Shiloh outside the city limits to the south. First known as Lincoln Chapel, the school relocated into Memphis proper in 1863 from south of the city. In 1866 it was destroyed during white race riots that broke out following the withdrawal of federal troops.

The school was rebuilt, and in 1867 it reopened with 150 students and six teachers. In 1870, Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798–1879), a Washington, Pennsylvania doctor, donated $20,000 (~$436,452 in 2024) to the American Missionary Association to build an elementary and secondary school for prospective teachers. LeMoyne, who was a notable abolitionist, traveled from his Pennsylvania home to visit the new school. He donated a clock for the school's tower. In 1871, the school opened in a new building at 284 Orleans Street and was named LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School. The Memphis yellow fever epidemic started in 1873 and took a toll on many school personnel. Under the leadership of the third principal, Andrew J. Steele, the school enjoyed three decades of growth and development.

In 1914 the school moved from Orleans Street to its present site on Walker Avenue. Steele Hall, the first building on the new campus, was erected that same year. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924. After developing a four-year curriculum, it became a four-year college in 1930. The LeMoyne College was chartered by the State of Tennessee four years later. Steele Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and the core of the college's campus was listed on the National Register in 2005. Owen College was established as a junior college in 1947, when the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention bought property for that purpose on Vance Avenue. After they developed the facility, S. A. Owen Junior College opened at that location in 1954. LeMoyne–Owen College was formed through the 1968 merger of LeMoyne College and Owen College, both private, historically black, church-affiliated colleges. In 2007, LeMoyne-Owen had management and accreditation problems due to a lack of financial resources. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed the college on probation for two years. In August 2007, the City of Memphis ensured the college would open for the fall 2007 semester by pledging $3 million in taxpayer funds to be added to other substantial pledges from the United Negro College Fund, Cummins, radio host Tom Joyner and the United Church of Christ. The donation pledge, approved by the City Council, aroused controversy. City councilmembers defended their actions as contributing to the city and its residents. The college's president Johnnie B. Watson said that the college has reaffirmed its accreditation. It had increased its endowment to 20 million dollars in 2014. In July 2020, LeMoyne-Ownen College received the largest donation in its history. A $40 million pledge from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis quadrupled the college's endowment. LeMoyne-Ownen's president called the gift "transformative" for all that the college does and can do. The Community Foundation will give approximately $2 million annually.

Historic district

The LeMoyne College Historic District is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It includes four contributing buildings and the 1936 campus quadrangle as a contributing site. It is roughly bounded by Walker, Hollis Price, Crown and alley to rear of Sweeney Hall. It includes Steel Hall, built in 1914, the oldest and original building on this campus, which was designed by Tandy & Foster and is separately listed on the National Register. It includes two Colonial Revival buildings, Brownlee and Sweeney halls, which were designed by George Awsumb along with the quadrangle in 1936. Sweeney Hall is named for Frank J. Sweeney, college president during 1929–1942, and originally served as the president's residence. It includes the three-story Modernist-style Hollis F. Price Library, built in 1963, designed by architects Gassner-Nathan-Browne, named for Hollis F. Price, college president during 1943–1970.

Athletics

The college sponsors athletic teams (nicknamed Magicians) that participate in the Division II level, in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) conference of the NCAA. The LeMoyne–Owen College Department of Athletics sponsors men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and tennis along with women's intercollegiate softball, basketball, cross country, volleyball and tennis. Men's volleyball was added in the 2025 season (2024–25 school year). The school's mascot is the Magicians. In 1975, the LeMoyne–Owen College men's basketball team won the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship. the school was then a member of Division III level of the NCAA. Up to this day, LeMoyne-Owen has been the only HBCU to win a national championship at that level. LeMoyne–Owen College golfer Dominique Worthen was the first player in SIAC history to win the SIAC Player of the Year award, earn a selection to the All Conference Team, and earn the SIAC Conference Championship MVP award, and an All Tournament First Team award, all in one week. Worthen of LeMoyne-Owen also won the 2015 PGA Minority Collegiate Championship.

Notable alumni

List of presidents Johnnie B. Watson Andrea Lewis Miller (2015–2019) first female and second alumnus Carol Johnson-Dean (2019–2021) interim Vernell Bennett-Fairs

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Shelby County, Tennessee

Notes

References

External links

Official website Athletics website

Illustrations

LeMoyne–Owen College: Francis Julius LeMoyne ca 1860 — Francis Julius LeMoyne ca 1860

Logo of the LeMoyne–Owen Magicians

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LeMoyne–Owen College

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LeMoyne–Owen College claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LeMoyne–Owen College before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LeMoyne–Owen College ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LeMoyne–Owen College

In research: LeMoyne–Owen College appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LeMoyne–Owen College in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LeMoyne–Owen College is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1968 establishments in Tennessee, Buildings and structures completed in 1914, Colonial Revival architecture in Tennessee, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LeMoyne–Owen College outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LeMoyne–Owen College in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LeMoyne–Owen College means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LeMoyne–Owen College out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LeMoyne–Owen College in simple terms?

Why does LeMoyne–Owen College matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LeMoyne–Owen College?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LeMoyne–Owen College.