Robert N. Ellington, Mary Elizabeth McCauley and James A. Moncure received Elon Medallions during a ceremony Monday, Aug. 22 in recognition of their outstanding service to the university. Details...
Ellington served as Elon’s medical director from 1985 to 2003. His vision and leadership helped the Elon health facility grow from a part-time first aid station with one doctor and nurse to a full-time acute-care center with more than 9,000 visits per year. The Robert N. Ellington Health Center opened in 2001, providing more than 5,000 square feet of space for student, faculty and staff health needs.
Ellington placed a high priority on his relationships with students, treating them with care, support and encouragement. An advocate for the health and wellness of the Elon community, he frequently shared his expertise in campus discussions of health-related issues such as drug and alcohol abuse.
Ellington practiced obstetrics and gynecology in the Elon and Burlington community from 1963 to 1985. His wife, Helen, is coordinator of special events in the president’s office at Elon.
McCauley graduated from Elon in 1951 and worked in a number of campus offices from 1969 to 1991. Her outstanding organizational talent and efficiency served her well during her work with the offices of the president, vice president of student affairs and vice president for development. Her courteous nature and conscientious attention to her work served as a model for others and earned the respect of her coworkers.
McCauley’s late husband, Larry, also worked at Elon as assistant business manager, director of the physical plant and director of construction and special projects.
Moncure joined Elon in 1974 as vice president for academics and student affairs. He was responsible for securing a $2 million federal grant in 1977, the largest financial award in Elon’s history at the time. He used the grant to initiate programs in nine areas that enhanced academic programs and led to Elon’s present-day national reputation for excellence. Under Moncure’s leadership, Elon used grant funds to create a learning resources center, an honors program, a career center, an institutional research office and an administrative computing center.
Moncure was passionate about academic excellence, working with President Emeritus J. Fred Young to secure grant money from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for faculty and staff development. He hired numerous highly qualified faculty members, doubling the number of faculty with terminal degrees in their fields.
Moncure served as vice president until 1982, when he returned to the classroom to teach history. He retired in 1987. His wife, Jane Belk Moncure, is a successful author of children’s books.