Today in Wheeling History: November 28 — Robert E. L. Strider, Wheeling native and 17th president of Colby College in Maine, died in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at age 93 (2010).
Robert Edward Lee Strider II (1917–2010) was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on April 8, 1917. His father, the Rev. Robert E. L. Strider, later became the third Episcopal bishop of West Virginia, while his mother, Mary Holroyd Strider, died shortly after his birth. Strider grew up in Wheeling and graduated as valedictorian from the Linsly Military Institute. He later studied at Episcopal High School in Virginia before enrolling at Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude in 1939.
At the onset of World War II, Strider entered the U.S. Navy, serving first as an ensign and later as a lieutenant in communications, stationed in Washington, D.C. After the war, he returned to Harvard to complete his PhD in English literature and began teaching.
In 1960, Strider was appointed the 17th president of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Over nearly two decades, he guided the institution through dramatic growth, tripling its endowment, expanding academic programs, and doubling investment in campus facilities. He retired in 1979. In recognition of his national prominence as a scholar of literature and his transformative leadership at Colby, Strider was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in 1982 in the category of Education and Religion. His induction was unique, as he entered alongside his father, making them one of the few father-son pairs honored together. Strider died on November 28, 2010, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at age 93.
To learn more: Robert E. L. Strider – Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/3bu34kfm), Wheeling Hall of Fame – Ohio County Public Library (https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/-wheeling-hall-of-fame-robert-e.-lee-strider-ii/4154), Find a Grave – Robert E. L. Strider II (https://tinyurl.com/5n84bdyj)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
Robert Edward Lee Strider II (1917–2010) was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on April 8, 1917. His father, the Rev. Robert E. L. Strider, later became the third Episcopal bishop of West Virginia, while his mother, Mary Holroyd Strider, died shortly after his birth. Strider grew up in Wheeling and graduated as valedictorian from the Linsly Military Institute. He later studied at Episcopal High School in Virginia before enrolling at Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude in 1939.
At the onset of World War II, Strider entered the U.S. Navy, serving first as an ensign and later as a lieutenant in communications, stationed in Washington, D.C. After the war, he returned to Harvard to complete his PhD in English literature and began teaching.
In 1960, Strider was appointed the 17th president of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Over nearly two decades, he guided the institution through dramatic growth, tripling its endowment, expanding academic programs, and doubling investment in campus facilities. He retired in 1979. In recognition of his national prominence as a scholar of literature and his transformative leadership at Colby, Strider was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in 1982 in the category of Education and Religion. His induction was unique, as he entered alongside his father, making them one of the few father-son pairs honored together. Strider died on November 28, 2010, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at age 93.
To learn more: Robert E. L. Strider – Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/3bu34kfm), Wheeling Hall of Fame – Ohio County Public Library (https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/-wheeling-hall-of-fame-robert-e.-lee-strider-ii/4154), Find a Grave – Robert E. L. Strider II (https://tinyurl.com/5n84bdyj)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
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