E. Wilson Lyon
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) |
E. Wilson Lyon | |
---|---|
6th President of Pomona College | |
In office July 1, 1941 – July 1, 1969 | |
Preceded by | Charles K. Edmunds |
Succeeded by | David Alexander |
Personal details | |
Born | Elijah Wilson Lyon January 6, 1905 Heidelberg, Mississippi |
Died | March 4, 1989 Pomona, California | (aged 84)
Spouse | Carolyn Lyon |
Children | Elizabeth, John |
Alma mater | University of Mississippi St John's College, Oxford |
Profession | Academic |
Elijah Wilson Lyon (1905 – 1989) was a diplomatic historian who served as the sixth President of Pomona College from 1941 to 1969. He studied at the University of Mississippi and Colgate University, and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.[1]
Biography
Elijah Wilson Lyon was born in Heidelberg, Mississippi, in 1904. Lyon had planned on becoming a journalist, but history drew his interest later on in life. Lyon attended the University of Mississippi. As a result of his great academic rigor, his tenure as senior class president, and editor of the college newspaper, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to St. John's College, Oxford. When he returned to the United States, he became an assistant professor of history at Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, then at Colgate University. He was named head of the history department in 1934 at Colgate.[2]
Pomona College
In 1941, Lyon was appointed president of Pomona College. He helped shape Pomona into a leading liberal arts institution. Lyon’s presidency was turbulent as it extended from the Second World War to Vietnam. He led Pomona through the birth of the civil rights movement and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy. At Pomona, students protested about many college and national issues. During his term, the school's endowment rose from $3.5 million to over $22 million and the student body grew from 790 to 1,200.[3]
References
- ^ "E. Wilson Lyon, 84, Ex-College President". NYTimes.com. 1989-03-24. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ "E.W. Lyon, 84; Ex-President of Pomona College". Los Angeles Times. 1989-03-05. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
- ^ "President E. Wilson Lyon". Pomona. 2000-01-01. Retrieved 2017-07-16.