John Decatur Messick

John Decatur Messick (November 9, 1897 – October 3, 1993) was the fifth president of what is now East Carolina University. He was born on November 9, 1897, near Aurora, North Carolina. He graduated from Elon College in 1922. He then went to summer school to complete graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1934, he earned a Ph.D. from New York University.

John Decatur Messick
Messick pictured in The Buccaneer 1948, East Carolina yearbook
President of the East Carolina Teachers College
In office 1947–1959
Preceded by	Dennis Hargrove Cooke
Succeeded by	Leo Warren Jenkins
Personal details
Born	(1897-11-09)November 9, 1897 near Aurora, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	October 3, 1993(1993-10-03) (aged 95) Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.

In 1947, Messick became the fifth President of East Carolina Teachers College, a position he held until resigning in 1959.^[1]

From 1965 to 1968, Messick was the Executive Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs for Oral Roberts University.^[2][3]