Haywood Jefferson “H.J.” Pearce Sr.

From governance to its name and very essence, no other president has left such an indelible mark on Brenau as Pearce. He served as president for 50 years – nearly one-third of the school’s history – and presided over the school as it entered the 20th century.

Pearce was born in 1871 in Columbus, Georgia. He earned degrees from Emory at Oxford in Atlanta, the University of Chicago, and earned his doctoral degree from the University of Wuerzburg in Germany. 

Pearce and Van Hoose served as presidents together until 1900, and in that time solicited funds from the community for an auditorium, which was dedicated in 1897 and has become an iconic landmark of the university’s historic Gainesville campus. 

In 1900, it was determined a new name was needed for the school. Brenau College was named based on a syllable from the German word “brennan” meaning “to burn,” and the Latin “aurum,” meaning “gold,” roughly translating to the school’s motto: As Gold Refined by Fire. In 1917, he penned The Brenau Ideal, which is still used by the university to this day.

Shortly after Van Hoose’s departure, Pearce reached out to Thomas Jackson “T.J” Simmons – who had been president of Shorter College from 1898 to 1910 – to become co-owner and co-president of Brenau. During that time, Pearce married his second wife, Lucile Townsend Pearce, WC 1900, and earned his doctoral degree. After the death of Simmons’ wife, Pearce bought out his interest in the college to become the sole president until his own death in 1943. Lucile Townsend Pearce oversaw the school’s operations committee until 1945. 

During Pearce’s time as co-president with Simmons, the two moved towards a governing board to run the college. The board eventually became the Board of Trustees, which still operates today. 
Today, the Pearce family is remembered for their lasting impact on Brenau with numerous references around campus, from H.J. the Golden Tiger mascot to the Lucile golden tiger statue on Green Street. In addition, Pearce founded Riverside Military Academy, an all-male boarding school that is now called Riverside Preparatory Academy; and the former Brenau Academy, a boarding school on the historic Gainesville campus for female high school students.