From Special Collections

1902 pin

By Nancy Bartosek

In 1897, John Crockett Mullins enrolled at Add-Ran Christian University in Waco, and as a new freshman, joined the fledgling college's Sherley Bible-Literacy Society. By 1902, Mullins was a matriculate of the College of Music and the College of Bible -- and recipient of the pin shown above.

Mullins, (left) who was born in Red River county in 1872, was one of a handful of Disciples of Christ preachers in Texas who prepared for the ministry through education. As Colby Hall explains in his 1947 book History of Texas Christian University: "Schools were scarce; sermons were plentiful; those who were moved to preach them did so. Schooling was not regarded as essential; indeed there was some prejudice against the educated preacher. Not so after 1900, at least, not much."

Yet at the prairie college, training ministers was a high priority, and by 1903, Mullins was preaching in Geary, Texas. He eventually married Cora Leota Marshall and had two children, a son and a daughter. That son had a daughter, Marti Mullins Osborn, who contacted The TCU Magazine in the spring and subsequently sent her grandfather's pin to TCU. It's now one of three TCU pins in the library's Special Collections.

If you know anything more about this pin, or have historic TCU items you'd like us to research, contact us at tcumagazine@tcu.edu or 817-257-7807.