Obituary of Silas Max Vaughn

Silas Max Vaughn, of Montreat, North Carolina died peacefully on May 9, 2015 at the Parker Ridge Retirement Community in Blue Hill, Maine. Born March 20, 1926, he was the son of the late Hershel and Odessa Graham Vaughn and a native of Collinsville, Texas. He grew up on the family farm and attended a one-room schoolhouse. As a high school student he helped with crops and on cattle drives to the stockyards in Fort Worth. Following graduation from high school in 1944, he joined the U.S. Marines. After spending Christmas 1944 in Pearl Harbor, he went to the South Pacific where he served at Okinawa. He was among the first group of service personnel in Nagasaki, Japan after the detonation of second atomic bomb. These experiences had a profound impact on the rest of his life, and it seems that the exposure to radiation in Nagasaki was a contributing factor to the blood cancer he developed 65+ years later. Like so many of his generation, he went to college on the GI bill and continued in the U.S. Marines Reserves until 1952. He attended Austin College in Sherman, TX, earning the B.S. and M.S. degrees. He was awarded the L.L.D. degree from King College in 1974. His entire career was spent in higher education. He was active in the Boy Scouts, both as a parent and volunteer. Both his sons achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and he was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award—the highest honor for volunteers. An ordained deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), he was also active as a church teacher and in mission work before and after his retirement. His first academic position was at the American University in Cairo (1952–1954) where he married his lifelong partner, Catherine Watts Stewart Vaughn. They met on the ship on the first night out of port where they were bridge partners during the journey from New York City to Cairo. They began dating soon thereafter. Si asked Cathy to marry him on Christmas Eve 1952 while visiting Shepherds’ Field in Bethlehem. They married on July 30, 1953 in Cairo at the Church of Scotland, and they remained at the American University in Cairo for another year— Silas taught business and agriculture and Catherine held a Fulbright Fellowship. It was during this time that he decided to shift from teaching to business administration. Thus began his career as a business manager and college administrator. After appointments at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia and Southwestern College in Georgetown, Texas, he was hired in 1958 as the first employee of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC. The board decided to hire Silas as the business manager before selecting a president. Following the construction of the new campus and the establishment and growth of the new college, Silas was hired in 1969 as vice chancellor for finance at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. For the next three years he oversaw expansive growth and building at UNCC. In 1972, he accepted a short-term consulting position at Montreat- Anderson College to advise the board on how best to close this school that was experiencing severe financial troubles. Rather than develop a plan to dissolve the school, he urged the board to find a president to help them focus on their mission and core values. He was truly surprised when the board asked him to lead that effort, and he went against the advice of colleagues when he left a more secure and prestigious position at UNCC to assume this challenge. Beginning in 1972, he served as President of both the Montreat Conference Center and Montreat-Anderson College. Following a three-year deliberate process of separating the Conference Center and College, he became the President of the College alone in 1975. He held that position until his retirement in 1991. He served as a full-time consultant for another year and later was named President Emeritus. He was proud that Montreat College had a balanced budget for all 19 years of his presidency. Si passionately spread the story of Montreat College and its mission with everyone that he met—knowing that anyone might be a potential student and/or supporter. He never forgot his roots nor the practical counsel of his father—a farmer who never obtained much formal education. He valued friendships and conversations with students, maintenance workers, and other staff just as much as those with faculty. He was open-minded and encouraged tolerance and acceptance. He had a wonderful sense of humor, but never at the expense of others. He took great joy in recruiting and encouraging students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including many from countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Throughout his career, he sought to do the right thing regardless of consequences or challenges. His family, students, and colleagues describe him as honest, humble, kind, compassionate, and sincere. Following his retirement, he began a career as a volunteer adviser for business administration at institutions of higher education. He preferred volunteer appointments rather than work as an interim college or foundation president, and he was never too proud to take on non-glamorous tasks. Among many positions, he worked as an adviser to several presidents and business managers of historically black colleges in the Southeast, as a business manager at universities in the Ukraine, Kenya, and Costa Rica, as a volunteer driver for a homeless shelter, and as a greeter for a thrift store. In addition to spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren, he delighted in being able to travel with his lifelong companion and partner, Cathy. They began their relationship by traveling throughout North Africa and Europe. In retirement, they expanded their explorations to Asia, Australia, other areas of Africa, and Central and South America. Si loved people, and even until the end of his last year of life enjoyed making new friendships and maintaining old relationships. Si Vaughn was a Christian with a strong faith, and he thought of his family and others first even as he was suffering with cancer. He looked forward to being reunited with his family in the presence of God and to waiting for those of us left behind to join him. He is survived by his wife of almost 62 years, Catherine Watts Stewart Vaughn; one sister: Helen Christiansen of Seattle, WA; two sons: R. Stewart Vaughn of Greer, SC and his wife Joyce; Andrew G. Vaughn of Deer Isle, ME and his wife Amy; five grandchildren: Christopher of Houston, TX; Matthew of Greenville, SC and his wife Shelly; Isaac, Orly, and Avital of Deer Isle, ME; and two great grandchildren, Annibelle and Noah. He was predeceased by his parents and four siblings: William Robert, Joe Lee, Glenda, and Nell. May his memory be a blessing. The family plans to hold a memorial service in Montreat, NC this summer. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Catherine Vaughn, 63 Parker Ridge Lane, Unit 315, Blue Hill, ME 04614. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the Vaughn Scholarship Fund at Montreat College, PO Box 1267, Montreat, NC 28757 (828-669-8012); or to EARTH University in Costa Rica which accepts donations in the U.S. at EARTH University Foundation, 8 Piedmont Center, Suite 520, 3525 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 (404-995-1230); or to the charity of one’s choice.