John Wells Kuykendall was the 15th president of Davidson College. Graduating from Davidson in 1959, Kuykendall went on to receive a bachelor in divinity from Union Theological Seminary and then more advanced degrees from Yale Divinity School and Princeton University. He eventually became a professor of religion and campus pastor at Auburn University. After retiring as president, Kuykendall served as interim president after Thomas W. Ross resigned and stayed on until Carol Quillen was appointed.