University of Memphis

University of Memphis at Memphis, Tenn.; coeducational; opened 1912 as a normal school, became West Tennessee State Teachers College in 1925. The school was renamed Memphis State College in 1941 and in 1957 received university status as Memphis State Univ.; it was renamed in 1994. It is the flagship institution of Tennessee's state university system. Research facilities include the Meeman Biological Field Station, the Chucalissa Museum, the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, and the Center for Earthquake Research and Information.

Rabb, Ellis (1930–98), actor, director, and manager. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and educated at the University of Arizona, Carnegie Tech, and Yale before starting to act and direct in summer Shakespeare festivals. Rabb made his New York debut in a 1956 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and appeared mostly in classic roles throughout his acting career. In 1960 he founded the Association of Producing Artists (APA), a repertory company for classics that gave New Yorkers some of the best revivals of the era. The APA disbanded in 1970 and Rabb became a freelance director and sometime actor.