Julius Cherry Powell (January 23, 1926 – May 16, 1988) was an American academic teacher and the seventh president of Eastern Kentucky University.
J.C. Powell was born on January 23, 1926, in Harriman, Tennessee, his mother's childhood home.
His father, Julius K. Powell, was the superintendent of public schools in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
He was in Guam, Saipan, and Marianas Island campaigns of the Pacific Theater during World War II.
He made frequent trips to Laurel County to his cabin for leisure on the weekends.
The EKU annual spring faculty retirement dinner of 1998 hosted the unveiling of an oil portrait of Powell.
The current student center at Eastern Kentucky University is named after Powell.
Built in 1971 the 110,601-square-foot (10,275.2 m2) $5.4 million J.C. Powell Building (Eastern's Student Center) houses meeting and conference rooms, a food court, the campus cafeteria, student lounges, a bowling alley, and an arcade.
(The bowling alley and arcade are now closed) The Powell Student Center underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2019.