DR. B. F. PRINCE A veteran educator, life member of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, and for thirty- one years a member of its board of trustees, passed peacefully away at his home in Springfield, Monday, |
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September 11, 1933, at the age of ninety-three years. The Springfield Daily News published a carefully writ- ten obituary, from which the following sketch is gleaned: (452) |
Dr. B. F. Prince 453
Dr. B. F. Prince, 93, dean of the
faculty of Wittenberg
college and affectionately called "The Grand Old
Man" at that
institution, acclaimed as the oldest
professor in point of years
and active service in the United States
and beloved by thousands
of men and women in and out of
Springfield, died at 5:15 a. m.
Monday at his home, 644 N. Wittenberg
Avenue, following an
illness of one week. Funeral services
will be held at 2:30 p. m.
Wednesday at a place to be decided
later. Burial will be made
in Ferncliff Cemetery.
He was honorary head of the history and
political science
department of the college; had served
for 55 consecutive years
as chairman of the prudential committee;
was treasurer of the
Alumni Endowment Association; for 31
years was a director
of the Ohio Archaeoloical and Historical
Society. He was con-
sidered one of the best and most
trustworthy authorities on his-
torical matters in Ohio. His two volumes
of the history of
Clark County are widely read and contain
much valuable in-
formation. He was formerly president of
the Clark County
Historical Society and had recently
completed a fine history of
Wittenberg College.
The death of Dr. Prince is mourned by
rich and poor, the
high and low, for he was a man of
lovable character, who always
spoke a kindly word for his fellow-men.
His was the service
always of joy, of ministration and of
wise counsel. He never
shirked in duty and devoted his life
assiduously and earnestly
that others might be benefited. He was
for many years a member
of the board of directors of the
college. Dr. Prince was a former
president of the Men's Literary Club.
He was born on a farm near Westville, in
Champaign County
Dec. 12, 1840. He spent his early days in
the toils incident to
the farm life of pioneer days, attending
school but a few months
each year.
He entered Wittenberg College as a
student in the fall of
1860, a few months before the Civil War
actually began. He
was graduated from the College in 1865,
receiving a Bachelor
of Arts degree. He was granted a Master
of Arts degree in
1868, and in 1891 Wittenberg honored him
as a Doctor of Phi-
losophy.
He was reared in a Lutheran family and
from the age of 13
he had been deeply interested in that
faith. Much of his inspira-
tion also, he often said, came from
reading the Lutheran Observer.
He also was wont to remark that although
he came to Wittenberg
College to gain an education, he never
dreamed that he would be
a teacher there.
454 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
He was offered a position in the
preparatory department of
the College in 1865 but he did not accept it until the
fall of 1866.
Since that time he taught such studies
as Greek, Latin, mathe-
matics, political science, economics,
sociology and history. He
taught Greek for 30 years.
Dr. Prince married Miss Ellen Sanderson
of Springfield on
August 3, 1869. She died February 17,
1911.
He remembered distinctly all of the
presidents of Wittenberg
except the first, Dr. Ezra Keller. There
have been seven of these
presidents, the present one being Rev.
Dr. Rees Edgar Tulloss.
He always said that teaching was to him
one of his greatest joys
and that he had never been dissatisfied
with his life or his work.
He was always a busy man and he had not
only the faculty of
teaching well, but he possessed unusual
business ability.
For many years he served as president of
the Springfield
Building and Loan Association.
Dr. Prince was injured in 1928, when he
was struck by an
automobile skidding on icy streets.
When he first came to college Dr. Prince
said he brought
six dozen candles which his mother had
made for him to study
by. Coal oil lamps had just been
introduced among the students
and the candles were not used.
Springfield, according to Dr. Prince,
was then a city of about
7,000. There were very few houses north
of Buck Creek. There
was a rickety wooden bridge across that
stream at N. Market St.
(now N. Fountain Avenue) and a small
foot-bridge a little east
of where the Wittenberg bridge is now.
"We played football then,
too," Dr. Prince was wont to com-
ment, "that is, the kind of
football which was played then. We
were also accustomed to taking long
walks out into the country
almost every morning.
"We didn't get over to Springfield
very often, probably about
once a week. However, after the Civil
War broke out the stu-
dents were eager for the latest news
about the war and they began
to go over to the city about every
day."
A large number of Wittenberg students
left school to go to
war in 1860 and 1861. In the meantime
the students organized
a military company which drilled
regularly several times a week.
Dr. Sprecher, then president of
Wittenberg, and a number of the
professors drilled with the students.
When Dr. Prince came to Wittenberg there
was but one
building on the campus and that was the
"Old dorm" or "Old
Wittenberg," as it is known among
the old graduates.
Dr. B. F. Prince 455
Dr. Prince had seen Wittenberg grow from
a college of one
building to an institution of learning
now embodying many build-
ings. He was also treasurer of the
College at one time.
It was largely owing to his care and
fidelity in the work as
chairman of the prudential committee
that Wittenberg's funds
have been so well administered. Dr.
Prince served long terms
as a member of the Springfield board of
education and the city
council, and had held other civic posts.
"Work" is the best
prescription for a long life, according to
Dr. Prince. As campus custodian he made
the rounds of all the
college buildings regularly, and as one
student expressed it, "it
is doubtful if anywhere in the country
there could have been
found a teacher who was so well and
favorably known among
such a large number of his former
students as was Dr. Prince."
He leaves three daughters, Misses Flora
and Grace Prince, at
home; and Mrs. J. C. Easton of 40 E.
Ward St.
"The life of Dr. Prince has been
intimately interwoven with
the history of Wittenberg College for
more than three quarters
of a century," said Dr. Rees E.
Tulloss, president of the college.
"During a large portion of that
time he occupied a unique position
in the academic and business
organization of the institution. For
more than 50 years he was chairman of
the Prudential Committee.
In this position and as vice president
of the College he has co-
operated in the conduct of the
institution during the terms of
office of five presidents of the
College. To his wise and cautious
administration of the finances of the
institution at various critical
points in her history, it may almost be
said that the existence of
the College is due.
"From 1866 to 1928, a period of 62 years, Dr. Prince was a
member of the teaching faculty, during
most of which time he
served as head of the Department of
History. Dr. Prince's in-
timate knowledge of the activities of
the College from a very
early date fitted him peculiarly for the
task of writing a history
of the institution, which he finished
after his retirement from
active teaching. Dr. Prince possessed an
unusual combination of
talents. As a scholar his historical
writings were of importance.
As a teacher he commanded, the respect
and admiration of many
student generations. As a business
administrator he rendered the
College a service the value of which
cannot be overestimated.
"His name deserves a place along
with the presidents of the
institution. His passing will be mourned
by thousands of Wit-
tenberg alumni and former students who
loved him as a man,
and esteemed him for his notable service to the
institution to
which his life was given."
DR. B. F. PRINCE A veteran educator, life member of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, and for thirty- one years a member of its board of trustees, passed peacefully away at his home in Springfield, Monday, |
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September 11, 1933, at the age of ninety-three years. The Springfield Daily News published a carefully writ- ten obituary, from which the following sketch is gleaned: (452) |