Forty years ago Greenville College had about 640 students, with about 110 of them from Bond County.

Twenty-eight international students from several continents were attending the college.

Information about the college during the 1962-63 school year is presented in the Vista yearbook for 1963.

Many of the faculty members were pictured in the yearbook.

Teaching in the Division of Religion and Philosophy were Walter H. Johnson, Stanley D. Walters and James Reinhard.

The Division of Fine Arts included Eleanor Pennington, Everett Sanders, Wilma Wilson, James Wilson and Mary W. LaDue.

The Division of English at Greenville College included Elva A. McAllaster, Jessie Baker, Harriette Whiteman and Elsie Miller.

Teaching in the Division of Speech and Modern Languages were Richard Huseman, Ivan Ratcliffe, Wilson C. LaDue, W. Brock Brentlinger and Jane Sanders.

The Division of Mathematics and Physics included Ralph J. Miller, Clair E. Carey, Herald Walton and Calvin K. Burge.

The Division of Biology included John H. Ayers and Ross Shaw.

Teaching in the Division of Chemistry were Warren A. McMullen and David Johnson.

The Division of History included Donald Jordahl and Daniel Jensen.

In the Division of Education were I.D. Baker, Elva E. Kinney, Anita Ficklin and Richard Stephens (who became college president in 1977.)

The Division of Business included S. Watson Tidball, Hsin Fu Wang and Marjory Hath.

In the Division of Sociology was Calvin Dunham.

In the Division of Physical Education were John M. Strahl, Marilyn Starr and Robert Smith (who was named college president in 1993.)

Named president of Greenville College in 1962 was Glenn Richardson, who succeeded H.J. Long, who had held the office since 1936.

Richardson came to the college in 1958 to teach business and also to head up the building and fund-raising programs to provide for college expansion. He had previously been chief executive of a steel company.

Some of the other administrators in 1962-63 were W. Brock Brentlinger, dean of academics; Sarah Ridpath, dean of student affairs; and Howard Krober, admissions director who was also in charge of student recruitment and public relations.

JoAnn Likes was dean of women and Harold Kemp was dean of men.
Leonard Keilor was assistant business manager and Calvin K. Burge was registrar. Ruby E. Dare was head librarian.

There was a full-page tribute in the yearbook to Harry V. Brewer, college business manager, who died on April 26, 1963.

The Board of Trustees included D.E. Sims, V.A. Kelley, Charles Kingsley, A.D. Zahniser, K.M. Walton, Clifford Baldwin, Bishop L.R. Marston (a former college president), G.B. Rhodes, Charles Smout, Henry Mathewson, Milburn Wills, Rev. Paul Ellis, Lowell Kline, J.R. Roark, Dr. O.S. Walters, J.L. Mayhew, George Fuller, A.V. McClellan, Walter Joy, Dr. Clarence Snyder and Rev. Kendal Mayhew.

The yearbook included a large aerial photograph of the Greenville College campus, which showed the Joy residence hall under construction.
Among the Friday and Saturday night entertainment programs at the college were international troubadour William Clauson and the Christian musical group, the Spurrlows.

Some of the eight lyceum programs in LaDue Chapel were pianist William Haaker, violinist Josef Gingold, and travelogues on Yugoslavia, Berlin and rural England. Another presentation was by the famed socialist Norman Thomas, who the yearbook said, “gripped his audience with his dramatic lecture.”

There were a great many student organizations and events in the 1962-63 school year. Among them were student government, the Student Education Association for future teachers, and the International Club, most of whose members were foreign students.

(Here is a breakdown of the countries of orgin of the college’s international students: Canada, seven; Hong Kong, six; Nigeria, three; Japan, two; Jordan, two; and one each from Ghana, Haiti, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, India, South Africa and Singapore.)

Some of the other student groups were Agora, a men’s social club, and Elpinice, a women’s social club, the Young Republicans, various honor societies, the debate team, the Vista yearbook, radio station WGRN and the newspaper, the Papyrus.

Scriblerus was a group for aspiring writers.

There were many musical groups, such as the college band, the a cappella choir, and the Ladies’ Glee Club. Among musical events was the annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah.

Several student musical groups represented the college in presentations in various parts of the nation, especially during the summer.
There were many religious organizations and events, among them the annual ministers’ conference, the annual missionary convention and spring and fall revivals.

A Ministerial Association was for students planning to enter the ministry.
Pictured in the yearbook was the Greenville Free Methodist Church and the pastor of the church, Rev. Donald Bastian, who also taught at that college.

Athletics included baseball, tennis, cross-country, track, soccer, as well as men’s and women’s varsity basketball.

Intramurals were also offered for both men and women.

By Allan H. Keith
(Allan H. Keith, formerly of Greenville, is a freelance writer and lives in Mattoon.)