Former slave receives honorary doctorate in divinity degree 100 years later

Emory & Henry College names Squire Henry Miller residence hall in his honor By David Winship When 18-year-old R. J. Reynolds stepped off the train at Emory, Virginia, he was likely greeted by a former slave not much older than he was, who served as a porter, bringing the arriving students’ trunks and suitcases from depot to dormitory. Reynolds came to Emory & Henry College (EHC) to continue his education as a young, white man preparing to go into the family business of the tobacco industry. Squire Miller Henry had come to Emory & Henry College from Rockbridge County, Virginia, seeking a better life after slavery. Reynolds stayed at Emory & Henry College for two years; Squire Henry stayed for 52 years, becoming an integral and cherished member of the community, both Black and white.  At the college, Henry performed every duty necessary for the operation of a small, young college recovering from the impacts of the Civil War. Henry performed farming, room and board, building, coal furnace coal stoking, and other necessary duties. endeavoring, in his own words, “to make a home worth living.” During his working time at EHC, Squire Henry became an integral member of the community....