(74) Bishop Thomas Frank Gailor: A Model of Manhood for the University of the South

     Susan Kingsley Kent, in her work Gender and History, defines gender as "the cultural or social qualities attached to a sexed body." It is important to understand that these gender qualities associated with one's... [ view full abstract ]

     Susan Kingsley Kent, in her work Gender and History, defines gender as "the cultural or social qualities attached to a sexed body." It is important to understand that these gender qualities associated with one's physically sexed body are not natural. They have been constructed by society, and are continually changing through time. Therefore, gender has a cultural history that can be studied because, as Kent points out, "gender is almost always embedded in some kind of power relationship. Just as gender is not natural, it is not neutral." Meaning is given to manhood through its contrast with womanhood, and visa versa. Consequently, when I speak of the development of manhood at Sewanee from 1882, when Gailor became the Chaplain, to 1935, when he passed away as the Bishop of Tennessee, I am also speaking of the power relationship that manhood set up in this place between the men and women of Sewanee.

     The Rt. Rev. Thomas Frank Gailor taught the students and the community of the University of the South his values, and those values became intrinsic in what it meant to be a Sewanee Man. Bishop Gailor "became virtually synonymous with the university,” being the most pristine model of manhood for the students at the time. This paper explores those values synonymous with the Bishop, and how they affected the community of the University of the South.