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BETHANY W.Va. – Bethany College is pleased to welcome Joel A. Brown to campus for its 183 Founder’s Day Celebration. Brown has a rich understanding of Bethany, its past, and its founder, Alexander Campbell. He is also a dedicated member of the Disciples of Christ Church with whom Bethany College is affiliated.

Founder’s Day is held annually on the first Thursday of March, with this year’s event being held on March 2, 2023—exactly 183 years after the College received its original charter from the Legislature of Virginia in 1840. The West Virginia legislature reaffirmed the charter on June 20, 1863, upon statehood.

In September of 2022, Brown stepped into the role of president of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. Prior to this role, Brown was the associate for publications and programming for the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago. Brown also holds experience as managing editor for the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago from 2016-2020. As the keynote speaker, Brown will lead the College in celebration with a conversation on “When Worlds Fall Apart: Alexander Campbell and the Civil War.”

Founder’s Day will also feature a wreath-laying service at Campbell’s grave at God’s Acre Cemetery. Campbell died March 4, 1866, in Bethany.

To celebrate Alexander Campbell and the founding of Bethany College, join us on March 2 at 11 a.m. in Commencement Hall, or via livestream. If you would like to attend in person, you must register online here. Following the celebration will be a luncheon at 12 p.m. in Phillips Hall.