Happy Birthday to WVWC!
When thinking about the history of West Virginia Wesleyan College, I often wonder about those first students. The ones who graduated from the West Virginia Conference Seminary (the first name of the school).
Who were they? What did they study? Since the school did not offer college level degrees until 1900, it may seem to us that those early students had an easy time of things. The 1890 catalog includes the courses of study for that time. They offered the Classical, Scientific, and Literary Courses of Study as well as Normal School preparation for teachers. The last of the Seminary Graduates were in 1908, as programs transitioned to fully college level over several years.
When looking over this curriculum, I would say that many of us would have a very hard time mastering all of this! The print above is very small, so here is a summary chart. The number after each is the number of terms the subject is required. One thing that stands out to me is that there are courses across all programs that resemble our General Studies curriculum of today.
I found a listing of all Seminary Graduates in the 1947 Alumni Directory, and created a chart of the various information available. In summary:
- Over 500 students graduated from the West Virginia Conference Seminary
- by 1947, they lived in 28 different states (WV being the highest at 213)
- Vocations were widely varied, with the top being Business, Attorney, Clergy, Teachers, and Physicians. Also included were 14 Higher Education Professors and Administrators, Judges, Government Officials, Civil Engineers, Bankers, and a Missionary. These folks left Buckhannon ready for just about anything! (That has not changed)
- Female students were right in the middle of it all, and the school was specifically founded with the goal of offering opportunities to them as well as to the male students.
To see the full list, Grouped by Graduation Year and Sorted by Degrees Earned, Click Here.
Several of these people were very familiar to me. I have written previously about some of them:
Opening Day: September 3, 1890
Roy McCuskey’s First Hand Account of the Fire
Orange and Black Are the Colors of Leadership (Frank Thompson)
Bravo to all of the Seminary Graduates! And to those who have followed their footsteps for 131 years.