Wabash College - Wabash Yearbook (Crawfordsville, IN)

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mints 11 SHOULD LIVE FOREVER” “In the present chaotic conditions of the world we consider ourselves fortunate and blessed to have as our new leader a man of the experience and attainments of Dr. Sparks.” So spoke Dr. Lee McCanliss upon handing the charter to Dr. Sparks. Born in 1891 on a farm in Grant County, Indiana, Dr. Sparks spent his first twenty years in the public schools of Cul- ver, Indiana; in the local department store; on the night switch- board at the telephone exchange; in the baggage room of the Pennsylvania railroad at Marion, Indiana; and in the horse-less carriage garage of Karl Fisher in Indianapolis. Then he went into the Haywood Tire and Equipment Company as sales man- ager; into a motor school for drivers and mechanics of which he was co-owner; and into a tire-pump manufacturing ven- ture which led to the founding of Noblitt-Sparks, Incor- porated. In 1929 Dr. Sparks began the process of being formally educated. He secured his A. B. from Butler University in 1935, his M. A. from the University of Southern California in 1937, and his Ph. D. from the University of Southern California in 1941. In October of 1941 Dr. Sparks was inaugurated presi- dent of Wabash College. During his years in Indianapolis Dr. Sparks took a leading part in civic affairs. He was for four years teacher of the ““Min- ute Men”’ Sunday School Class of the First Baptist Church. He was president of the Indianapolis Rotary Club, a director and meeiNK HUGH SPARKS treasurer of the Park School for Boys, and a director of the In- dianapolis Athletic Club. He also took a varied part in the busi- ness life of Indianapolis. From 1932 to 1937 he held the office of president of City Foods, Inc., and a directorship in the Amer- ican National Bank, and from 1934 to 1935 he was a member of the Regional Labor Board of Indianapolis. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma, and Delta Sigma. Recently he was appointed by Governor Schricker to the State Board of Edu- cation,

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AS FOUNDED --- FOR ST TT] VV 1s Te ee

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K K K GEORGE VALENTIN A tribute to Wabash has been fortunate to have the guiding counsel of Dean Kendall through the last two perilous years. Upon the death of President Hopkins, Dean Kendall became acting president of Wabash. When Wabash chose Dr. Sparks as its president, Dean Kendall was active in helping to orient him. Then came World War Il; more than ever was Dean Kendall’s advice needed and forthcom- ing. April 2 Dean Kendall felt it his duty to aid actively in the war effort; he ac- cepted a commission as Lieutenant-Colonel in the United States Army.