Dr. Woodford Broadus Hackley
Professor of Latin, 1933-1962
Professor of Latin, Emeitus, 1962-1978
On April 15, 1993, Dr. Hackley was added to the University of Richmond Trustees' Honor Roll of Distinguished Faculty, Administrators and Staff. Dr. Fred Anderson of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society had this to say about Dr. Hackley:
Woodford Broadus Hackley was my predecessor at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and I am forever in his debt. Whenever I research a topic and find notes signed GR for Farnett Ryland or WBH for Hackley, I know that there is no reason to search any further. They were meticulous historians. Many of the old boys of Richmond have told me that they knew they could easily divert Hackley from Latin by asking something like this, "Dr. Hackley, what do you suppose Robert E. Lee would have done if he had been a Roman soldier?" They knew Hackley's weakness for the War Between the States. His other weaknesses were his beloved Claire, Culpeper, and Baptist history. When there was talk of exploring outer space, Hackley snorted: "I don't want to go to the moon; there's no Baptist history there." For 20 years he performed a labor of love by leading the VBHS, operating literally on a shoestring. He used the backs of old test papers for his research notes and required his small staff to bring their own pencils and index cards. He began an annual scholarly journal for the Historical Society and today the Virginia Baptist Register is in its 31st year and its subscription list includes leading research libraries around the country and beyond.