Samuel Roger Smith also known as S. R. Smith (1853 – 1916) was a co-founder and the first president of

Messiah College Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg. History The school was founded as "Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home" in 1909 by ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

.Sider, E. Morris. ''Messiah College: A History''. Evangel Press (Nappanee, IN: 1984). Samuel Roger Smith was born on a farm in

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania Hummelstown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,535 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Harrisburg metropolitan area. Originally named Fredrickstown, the town was estab ...

near

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

on September 16, 1853 to Michael and Mary Anna Shoop Smith. Smith became a teacher at a young age before eventually attending

Eastman National Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United S ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

where he graduated first in his class and went on to earn a master's degree at Columbia College. In 1874, he married Elizabeth Light (1853-1919) after experiencing a conversion while courting her. He eventually became an active member of the

Brethren in Christ Church The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a River Brethren Christian denomination. Falling within the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity, the Brethren in Christ Church has roots in the Mennonite church, with influences from the revivals of Radic ...

eventually becoming General Conference secretary. In 1879, he entered the milling industry with his brother-in-law John Light before moving into the drug sales industry. His wife Elizabeth Smith began cooking and selling popular noodles to neighbors, and eventually this became the main income source for the family of twelve. Smith wanted his children to be educated in the Brethren in Christ tradition. No such schools existed at that time, so starting in 1907 Smith sought church backing and eventually became the founding president of Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home in 1909, which admitted students regardless of their race, sex, or creed and was intended to prepare students for lives of Christian service. Smith donated his house in Harrisburg to house Messiah's original students and the first twelve students attended tuition-free. In 1911, due to overcrowding, Smith decided to move the campus to Grantham where there could be agricultural training and a more rural atmosphere, and Smith donated his land of five acres for the college, which included Old Main and several other original campus buildings. On September 12, 1916 Smith unexpectedly died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Samuel Rogers 1853 births 1916 deaths People from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania Heads of universities and colleges in the United States University and college founders