John E. Anderson

John E. Anderson II was born November 12, 1925, in Memphis, Tennessee to Lucille Morgan and John Raymond Anderson. He grew up in Holly Springs, Mississippi and graduated from Holly Springs High School. After serving in World War II as a radioman in the U.S. Navy aboard the battleship USS New Mexico, John attended Mississippi State University. He then had a long a successful career in the hotel industry: first owning and managing the Corinth Motel in Corinth, Mississippi; then serving in several managerial positions with Brock Hotel Corp., including regional manager and general manager of the Holiday Inn Midtown in Bowling Green, Kentucky; and finally the Holiday Inn Longboat Key in Longboat Key, Florida. John was married to Jane Stafford Anderson for 67 years until his passing on July 30, 2015. The couple had five children: three daughters and two sons.

To honor his legacy, John E. Anderson III and his wife Sherry established the John E. Anderson in December of 2008. The fund serves to assist deserving students at WKU with their educational objectives. Through this fund, students are supported in perpetuity.