09/18/2026
Yesterday, the University of Mississippi honored Ben Shields’ late mother and father — and Benjamin Shields’ late grandparents — with the establishment of the F. Douglas and Cora Beal Shields Chair in Physics Education. This endowed, tenure‑track faculty position in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is the department’s first endowed chair and was created in Dr. F. Douglas Shields’ honor.
The chair is named for F. Douglas Shields, Sr., who served in the U. S. Army Air Corps in World War II, and served on the faculty of Middle Tennessee State University and The University of Mississippi, where he served more than 40 years as a Professor of Physics, Associate Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, and as a Founding Scientist of the National Center for Physical Acoustics. His academic research in the fundamentals of acoustic propagation led to the development of standard methods that are now used every day by acousticians all over the world. The chair also honors Cora Beal Hardison Shields, his wife of nearly 70 years. Dr. Shields and Mrs. Shields also worked with other Christians to establish the University Student Center in 1960, and that ministry continues today under direction of the Oxford church of Christ as the "Rebels for Christ."
All of their living grandchildren were in attendance, along with their children, extended family, and friends. What an incredible honor for them and their family — a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.
