Erik Blackburn Oliver

Oxford Erik Blackburn Oliver

The notion that the stateliest of oaks germinates from an altogether miniscule acorn has special meaning for the community of Oxford, Georgia, whether used literally to describe the "Prince of the Forest" or metaphorically depict large and long serving families or the birth of a great university. Emory College was rooted in the soils of Oxford for 80 years, growing in fits and starts until 1919, when, with relative suddenness, it was transplanted to Atlanta. In the wake of that move, the community shrank from a Methodist stronghold to an institutional afterthought. Yet, both the community and the campus endured and thrived again, as both old and new families put down fresh roots and engendered a deep sense of place, fellowship, service, and celebration.