Edwin Erle Sparks (July 16, 1860 – June 15, 1924) was the eighth president of the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, serving from 1908 until 1920.

Biography

Sparks was born in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus at the junction of the forks of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 United ...

, on July 16, 1860. After high school, he attended

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

for two years and the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, Class of 1884. He was a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

, and received his M.A. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, his Ph.D. from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

and his LL.D. from

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

. He married Katherine Bullard Cotton on January 1, 1890. Sparks became a member of the

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was forme ...

fraternity at Ohio Weslayen and a founder and charter member of the Iota chapter at the

. He served as the Grand Gamma (National Secretary) of the fraternity and was also instrumental in bringing Chi Phi to Penn State just before his death in 1924. In his memory, Chi Phi established the Sparks Memorial Medal, presented to the undergraduate member in each chapter who had, during the preceding year, the highest grade point average.

References

Penn State Presidents and their achievements
* The Chronicles of Chi Phi, 1976

External links

* * 1860 births 1924 deaths Harvard University alumni University of Chicago alumni Lehigh University alumni Presidents of Pennsylvania State University People from Newark, Ohio Ohio State University alumni {{US-academic-administrator-1860s-stub