Looking Back at Geneva’s Presidents

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As Geneva College prepares for the inauguration of its twentieth president this month, we look back on the leaders who helped shape its 168-year history of providing Christ-centered, academically excellent education. Geneva was founded in Northwood, Ohio on Thursday, April 20, 1848. Over the course of the Geneva’s history, the Lord blessed it with presidents who maintained its Reformed Christian heritage and commitment to leadership in Christian higher education for all people.

Some presidential points of interest include:

Reverend John Black Johnston was the pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Miami, Ohio. He began a Latin class in the study of his home. Enrollment quickly grew and it had to move to the church and then to a log school. The Lakes Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church authorized Johnston to build a college. Within five months, he had built a five-room brick building, opened Geneva College and became its first President.
The third President, Dr. James Renwick Willson Sloane, earned a national reputation as an anti-slavery advocate.
The youngest person to lead Geneva was Reverend Dr. John Calvin Knox Milligan, who was only 19 years old when he joined the faculty and 27 when he became the fourth president.
The first president to be a graduate of Geneva was the eighth, Reverend Henry Hosick George; the college moved to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, during his tenure.
The tenth president, Reverend Dr. William Henry George, later joined the Ambulance Corps in France and Italy, where he received the Italian War Cross for bravery under fire.
Thirteenth president Dr. McLeod Milligan Pearce served during Geneva’s centennial; during his tenure Reeves Field and McCartney Library were built, Science Hall was enlarged, and Fern Cliffe and Alumni Hall were purchased.
Dr. Charles Marston Lee, fourteenth president, was the first non-clergyman to serve as president.
Under fifteenth president Dr. Edwin Cameron Clarke the college experienced tremendous physical expansion and adopted the “Foundational Concepts of Christian Education.”
Before coming to Geneva, seventeenth president Dr. William Joseph McFarland was Director of Academic Affairs for the Kansas Board of Regents, responsible for planning and oversight for the state’s system of education.
Reverend John H. White, eighteenth president, was instrumental in the development of a number of interdenominational cooperative projects such as the Coalition for Christian Outreach headquartered in Pittsburgh, and the founding of Beaver County Christian School in Beaver Falls.
Nineteenth president Dr. Kenneth A. Smith is currently the Dean of the McLane College of Business at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Previous interim president Dr. William J. Edgar conducted his doctoral dissertation research in history in Athens, Greece, with the help of a Fulbright Dissertation Grant.

Past Presidents of Geneva College:

First	Reverend Dr. John Black Johnston	1848-1850
Second	Reverend William Finney George	1850-1852
Third	Dr. James Renwick Willson Sloane	1852-1856
Fourth	Reverend Dr. John Calvin Knox Milligan	1856-1858
Fifth	Reverend John Calvin Smith	1858-1860
Sixth	Reverend Dr. Nathan Robinson Johnston	1865-1867
Seventh	Dr. Samuel John Crowe	1867-1871
Interim	Reverend William Milroy	1871-1872
Eighth	Reverend Henry Hosick George	1872-1890
Ninth	Reverend William Pollock Johnston	1890-1907
Tenth	Reverend Dr. William Henry George	1907-1916
Eleventh	Reverend Dr. Renwick Harper Martin	1916-1920
Twelfth	Reverend Dr. Archibald Anderson Johnston	1920-1923
Thirteenth	Dr. McLeod Milligan Pearce	1923-1948
Fourteenth	Dr. Charles Marston Lee	1948-1956
Fifteenth	Dr. Edwin Cameron Clarke	1956-1980
Sixteenth	Dr. Donald William Felker	1980-1983
Interim	Dr. Edwin Cameron Clarke	1983-1984
Seventeenth	Dr. William Joseph McFarland	1984-1992
Eighteenth	Reverend Dr. John H. White	1992-2004
Nineteenth	Dr. Kenneth A. Smith	2004-2015
Interim	Reverend Dr. William J. Edgar	2015-2016
Twentieth	Dr. Calvin L. Troup	2016-

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

Sep 5, 2016

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