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2015 SESSION
WHEREAS, Bethany College, located in Brooke County, West Virginia, which traces its roots to the Buffalo Seminary early in the 19th century, was chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a four-year liberal arts college on March 2, 1840, and was recognized as a college by the new state of West Virginia in 1863, making it the oldest college in the state of West Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Alexander Campbell, one of the principal founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States, established Bethany College for the instruction of youth in science, literature, the arts, and foreign languages, and Bethany College retains its historic affiliation with the Christian Church; and
WHEREAS, Bethany College has provided its students with an excellent education to prepare them for service in myriad careers, including law (Thomas Buergenthal, retired judge, International Court of Justice, the Hague); medicine (Dr. John Niederhuber, former director of the National Cancer Institute and currently chief executive officer, Inova Translational Medicine Institute); business (Gregory B. Jordan, executive vice president and general counsel, PNC, and Robert J. McCann, chief executive officer, The Americas UBS); and community service (Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr., former chief executive officer of International Relief and Development); and
WHEREAS, other notable alumni of Bethany College include broadcasters Dave Sims of the Seattle Mariners, Faith Daniels, and Bob Orr, and Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand, among many others in various fields and professions; and
WHEREAS, Bethany College has benefited from many talented faculty members, including Amos Emerson Dolbear, the American physicist and inventor, who invented the electrostatic telephone while serving on the faculty at Bethany College in 1868 and had previously invented the first permanent magnet and metallic diaphragm for the telephone receiver; and
WHEREAS, Bethany College has benefited from excellent lay leaders through the years, including United States President James A. Garfield, who served on the Bethany College board of trustees from 1866 to 1881; and
WHEREAS, in addition to President Garfield, four other United States presidents have visited the Bethany College campus, namely John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald Ford; and
WHEREAS, since 1840, when Alexander Campbell became the first president of Bethany College, only 19 individuals have served as president, with Scott D. Miller now serving in that position; the late Governor of West Virginia, Cecil Underwood, served as Bethany College’s 13th president, from 1972 to 1975; and
WHEREAS, Bethany College first admitted female students in 1877 and has upheld its commitment to provide a quality liberal arts education to students from West Virginia and 27 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and nine countries, serving its students as the only national liberal arts college in West Virginia; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Bethany College on the occasion of its 175th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Scott D. Miller, president of Bethany College, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the college’s storied history and its outstanding leadership, scholarship, and service to the State of West Virginia and the nation.