He grew up in Virginia Beach, a surfer and self-proclaimed “beach bum.”
But when Dr. Don Wayne King finally headed to the mountains and drove through the gates of Montreat, he told his wife, “I think we’ve reached the promised land.”
Fifty years later, the 72-year-old English professor is still there, still in the classroom rocking Converse high-top sneakers. He hasn’t set a retirement date, fearing that he would be bored after leaving the classroom.
King is known as a prominent scholar of author and theologian C.S. Lewis, but first and foremost his dedication is to his students.
This year, King is wrapping up his first half century teaching at Montreat College as professor of English. He has written nearly a dozen books on C.S. Lewis and those in his immediate sphere.
Beyond instructing, King has served as the editor of a prestigious journal, led his college as the Academic Dean, and inspired students with trips to Oxford, England.
SURPRISED TEACHER OF THE YEAR THINKS FUN AND LEARNING GO TOGETHER
Montreat College has struggled to keep its doors open for decades.
“Part of why I stayed around so long,” King joked, “was to see if we’d ever get out of survival mode.”
Due to efforts made by the current college president, Dr. Paul Maurer, King believes Montreat is finally stable for the first time in his half-century career. But he said the real reason he remains at the small mountain college is that the “students haven’t really changed” since he arrived.
King said he feels most gratified when hearing from former students, like one who told him years after graduating, ‘I didn’t like to read before I took your class.’” That student now reads Lewis’ Narnia series to his children. Transformations like these breathe life into King’s heart.
King earned his B.A. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a M.A. degree from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
He and his wife Jeanie raised their children, Bethany, Rebecca, Nathan, and Joanna in the Montreat community. All four children studied English in college and attended Montreat for at least a year.
King recalls that it was In the dining hall of Virginia Tech where he first was introduced to Lewis’ beloved novel, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”
“(I) read that book and the rest of the (Narnia) series over the next six days during finals week,” he said.
King’s fascination with Lewis has continued to this day.
“Here’s somebody who’s a literary critic and also a Christian as well,” King described. “He scratched all my itches.”
King has written eleven books throughout his career. “I write books because I come across an area that nobody else has written about,” he said.
To him, writing is about filling a knowledge gap in the literary community.
“I like to think of my books as a starting point for others to come behind me and fill in the details,” he said.
Teaching students and researching for books would be hard to juggle for anyone, but King said the two fit like “hand and glove.”
“I think it’s important for students to become active in their own learning,” he said.
King encourages this participation by allowing students to help research and edit his books.
King spent eight years writing his latest book, “Inkling, Historian, Soldier, and Brother: A Life of Warren Hamilton Lewis.” The recent title was awarded a bronze medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards for world history in 2023.
Recent graduate Lillian Queen assisted in the making of the critical biography centering on the life and work of C.S. Lewis’ brother. Queen recalled, “He sent us all of the pages of his manuscript and we gave him feedback on primarily the flow and accessibility.”
King has a “passion for getting professors to integrate faith and learning.” He pursued that vision as the Academic Dean for Montreat from 1993 to 2000 and as the editor of the Christian Scholars Review from 1999 to 2015, helping facilitate an academically respectable journal for Christian higher education.
Along with Dr. Hal Poe of Union University, King runs the Inklings Fellowship, inspired by the literary group to which C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien once belonged.
Since 2001, the Inklings have hosted yearly retreat weekends in Montreat with around fifty attendees participating in seminars and performances. Every three years, the group flies to Oxford to walk where the original Inklings once walked.
Since 2014, Dr. King has conducted an independent study with invested students. The course involves research on Lewis and a trip to Oxford. In March, he led his seventh trip with students.
Julianna Doyle, a student on the most recent trip, said the magic comes from “being able to read letters and notebooks that belonged to Lewis.”
“Dr. King as a Lewis scholar drew me to Montreat,” said Doyle, a junior studying Environmental Science.
Doyle described King as “very involved and hands-on… good natured, witty and kind.”
Queen, a recent graduate of King’s English program, said “his classes are a delight to participate in,” adding that, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop discovering ways Dr. King positively impacted my life.”
To escape from the intellectual world, King said he likes “to mess around with flowers.” He took up golf for the same reason. After returning from the course, his wife once asked, “What did you guys talk about?” He replied, “golf.”
It seems even professors need a break from studies.
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER and BREAKING NEWS ALERTS from 828newsNOW.com