Merritt Eldred Hoag (May 25, 1909 – November 19, 1994) was a

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in the U.S. Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as well as the 11th president of

University of North Georgia The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public senior military college with multiple campuses in Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia. The university was established on January 8, 2013 by a merger of North Georgia Colle ...

(now known as the University of North Georgia).

Early life

Hoag grew up and attended grade school in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. Following high school he enrolled in Edinboro College and subsequently Duke University, where he earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in economics and English. He then had a brief career as a principal, and later a dean, of masonic school in Texas. Hoag joined the United States Navy at the beginning of the Second World War. He spent the early years of the war organizing pre-flight schools at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

, and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

. A few years into the war he requested sea duty. By the end of the 1940s Hoag had been involved in six Pacific invasions and had achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. For his wartime service Hoag was awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Philippine Independence Medal, and Victory Medal. After the war he remained in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...

until reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel, at which point he retired.

Service in education

Before becoming the president of North Georgia College, Merritt E. Hoag served as the dean of the school during the presidency of Jonathan C. Rogers. After Rogers' retirement in 1949, Hoag succeeded him in the presidency.

Late life and death

Following his retirement from the presidency at NGC, Hoag he became the mayor of Young Harris, Georgia- a position that he held for two consecutive terms. Hoag died in Young Harris on November 19, 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoag, Merritt Eldred 1909 births 1994 deaths Edinboro University of Pennsylvania alumni Duke University alumni American academic administrators United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Army officers United States Army reservists 20th-century American academics