David Alexander (college president)
John David Alexander CBE (October 18, 1932 – July 25, 2010) was an American academic who served as president of Pomona College during a period of time where he led a major expansion of the school, and served as US National Secretary for the Rhodes Trust, overseeing the selection process for recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship from the United States. Early life and education Alexander was born on October 18, 1932, in Springfield, Tennessee. He was raised in Princeton, Kentucky and graduated from Southwestern at Memphis College, now known as Rhodes College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and with honors in Greek language, and then attended Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He was selected as a Rhodes Scholar in 1954 and was awarded a doctorate in theology from Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied Greek, Hebrew and church history. Career After returning to the United States, he taught at San Francisco Theological Seminary. He became the president of Southwestern at Memphis in 1965, where he desegregated the college's network of fraternities and sororities. At 33, Alexander was one of the youngest college presidents in the United States and was the first alumnus to serve in the position. He was named president of