Jack Hensley

Jack Hensley, a professor of speech and theatre arts for 36 years, retired from Southeast Missouri State University where he spent 27 years. He began his college teaching career in 1952 at Northeast Missouri State University. He left Northeast after seven years and taught two years at Stephen F. Austin State in Texas before coming to Southeast. Hensley helped plan the construction of the Forrest H. Rose Theatre on the Southeast Campus and directed 27 plays between 1963 and 1982. The plays he directed ranged from “Candida” and “Romeo and Juliet” in 1964 to “Carnival” in 1982. He taught theatre history and the freshman speech course at Southeast. A member of the State Council on the Arts theatre advisory panel for 12 years, Hensley served on numerous university committees including Academic Council, Alumni Council, Commencement Committee, Executive Committee of the 1973 centennial celebration, the Board of Publications and the Faculty Emeritus Committee. Hensley participated in the Missouri London Program in the first year of operation in 1984, teaching courses in England for one semester. His interest in archaeology and theatre history took him on study trips in Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Italy and England. Born in Cape Girardeau, Hensley received a bachelor of science degree in education from Southeast. He earned a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and did additional study at the Yale School of Drama.