Andrew Truxal
Encyclopedia
Andrew Gehr Truxal was the third president of Hood College
and the first president of Anne Arundel Community College
. Truxal was a lifelong academic serving as instructor at several institutions and chairman of the sociology
department of Dartmouth College
.
Truxal is commemorated by a professorship and scholarship in Sociology at Hood College and a library named after him at Anne Arundel College.
, where he joined Phi Kappa Psi
. Following that, he attended the Eastern Theological Seminary of the Evangelical and Reformed Church
of the United States in Lancaster where he received his degree in divinity and became an ordained minister in 1923. He then served as instructor of history and economics at Franklin and Marshall and instructor of history at Millersburg State Teachers College.
Truxal received his doctorate
from Columbia University
in 1928. Upon this, he joined the faculty of Dartmouth as a professor in sociology before taking over as chairman of that department in 1935. He briefly served, along with Bancroft H. Brown and W. Stuart Messer, as interim Dean of the Faculty of Dartmouth following the death of Dean Gordon Bill.
. He succeeded Irvin Stahr who resigned in July 1948. The ceremony was held in the Hodson Outdoor Theater and featured a keynote address by Isaiah Bowman
, former president of Johns Hopkins University
. In his inaugural address, Dr. Truxal told the students that
During his time at Hood, Truxal oversaw the construction of Hodson Science Hall, Coffman Chapel, Gambrill Gymnasium, the President's House, and Fox Alumnae Headquarters. With the completion of the President's House, Dr. Truxal auctioned off the rights to spend an evening with the Truxals in the house. All funds raised in these auctions were given to the World Student Service Fund. He briefly stepped aside in 1953 after suffering a heart attack
. An administrative committee stood in his place during his recovery.
On January 22, 1961, Truxal was named the first president of Anne Arundel Junior College
. Dr. Randle Elliott was announced as Truxal's successor at Hood on February 8 and Truxal retired from the college on July 1 of that year.
commissioners to become the president of the new college. The college opened in September 1961 offering night classes at Severna Park High School
. In 1967, under his tenure as president, the college moved to its current campus in Arnold, Maryland
. The college also received its full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education during his presidency. He retired from the position in August 1968.
. Hood College still recognizes the contributions of Dr. Truxal through a sociology scholarship. The chair of the sociology department at Hood receives the title of "Andrew G. Truxal Professor of Sociology." In addition, the pergola
located at the center of the residential quad is named in his honor.
Anne Arundel has honored Dr. Truxal with the Andrew G. Truxal Library on its campus. One male and one female student-athlete a year receive the Dr. Andrew G. Truxal Award for his or her total involvement with athletics and accomplishments in extracurricular activities.
Hood College
Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college located in Frederick, Maryland. The college serves approximately 1,050 graduate students and more than 1,400 undergraduate students.-Early History :...
and the first president of Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel Community College, founded in 1961, is located in Arnold, Maryland. The college was named "Community College of the Year" by National Business Alliance in 2000. AACC has also received many other in recent years...
. Truxal was a lifelong academic serving as instructor at several institutions and chairman of the sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
department of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
.
Truxal is commemorated by a professorship and scholarship in Sociology at Hood College and a library named after him at Anne Arundel College.
Education and early career
In 1920, Truxal graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaLancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, where he joined Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
. Following that, he attended the Eastern Theological Seminary of the Evangelical and Reformed Church
Evangelical and Reformed Church
The Evangelical and Reformed Church was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States with the Evangelical Synod of North America . After the 1934 merger, a minority within the RCUS seceded in order to...
of the United States in Lancaster where he received his degree in divinity and became an ordained minister in 1923. He then served as instructor of history and economics at Franklin and Marshall and instructor of history at Millersburg State Teachers College.
Truxal received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1928. Upon this, he joined the faculty of Dartmouth as a professor in sociology before taking over as chairman of that department in 1935. He briefly served, along with Bancroft H. Brown and W. Stuart Messer, as interim Dean of the Faculty of Dartmouth following the death of Dean Gordon Bill.
Presidency at Hood College
On October 21, 1948, Truxal was inaugurated as the third president of Hood College in Frederick, MarylandFrederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
. He succeeded Irvin Stahr who resigned in July 1948. The ceremony was held in the Hodson Outdoor Theater and featured a keynote address by Isaiah Bowman
Isaiah Bowman
Isaiah Bowman, AB, Ph. D. was an American geographer...
, former president of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. In his inaugural address, Dr. Truxal told the students that
During his time at Hood, Truxal oversaw the construction of Hodson Science Hall, Coffman Chapel, Gambrill Gymnasium, the President's House, and Fox Alumnae Headquarters. With the completion of the President's House, Dr. Truxal auctioned off the rights to spend an evening with the Truxals in the house. All funds raised in these auctions were given to the World Student Service Fund. He briefly stepped aside in 1953 after suffering a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. An administrative committee stood in his place during his recovery.
On January 22, 1961, Truxal was named the first president of Anne Arundel Junior College
Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel Community College, founded in 1961, is located in Arnold, Maryland. The college was named "Community College of the Year" by National Business Alliance in 2000. AACC has also received many other in recent years...
. Dr. Randle Elliott was announced as Truxal's successor at Hood on February 8 and Truxal retired from the college on July 1 of that year.
Presidency at Anne Arundel Community College
Truxal was the unanimous choice of the Anne Arundel CountyAnne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
commissioners to become the president of the new college. The college opened in September 1961 offering night classes at Severna Park High School
Severna Park High School
Severna Park High School is a public high school located in Severna Park, Maryland. It is a part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. Its current feeder school is Severna Park Middle School. SPHS opened its doors to students in 1959 and its current principal is Mr...
. In 1967, under his tenure as president, the college moved to its current campus in Arnold, Maryland
Arnold, Maryland
Arnold is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 23,422 at the 2000 census. Neighborhoods straddle College Parkway and Ritchie Highway. Arnold is located on the scenic Broadneck peninsula...
. The college also received its full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education during his presidency. He retired from the position in August 1968.
Legacy
Truxal died on February 3, 1971 of a heart attack in his winter home in Naples, FloridaNaples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
. Hood College still recognizes the contributions of Dr. Truxal through a sociology scholarship. The chair of the sociology department at Hood receives the title of "Andrew G. Truxal Professor of Sociology." In addition, the pergola
Pergola
A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...
located at the center of the residential quad is named in his honor.
Anne Arundel has honored Dr. Truxal with the Andrew G. Truxal Library on its campus. One male and one female student-athlete a year receive the Dr. Andrew G. Truxal Award for his or her total involvement with athletics and accomplishments in extracurricular activities.