Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Category: Campus News
D. Ray Hostetter, Messiah’s sixth president, passed away on February 12, 2016.
Hostetter came from a long line of dedicated Messiah faculty and administrators. His grandfather and father both served as presidents, and his mother was both a student and teacher at Messiah.
He caught Messiah fever early, attending the school as a boy. After graduation, he continued his education, receiving a B.A. in History from Greenville College in Illinois and an M.A. from Pennsylvania State University.
After obtaining his master’s degree, Hostetter began his journey as an authoritative figure in higher education at Tabor College in Kansas, teaching and coaching athletic teams.
He eventually left Tabor and returned to Messiah. In the years before serving as president, he taught history and physical education classes. Some years later, Hostetter became the director of development. He became Messiah College’s sixth president in 1964.
In 1965, he returned to school and earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Columbia University in New York. During his studies, the wheels in his mind turned as he envisioned the great potential Messiah could reach.
President Hostetter’s obituary
Messiah College Memorial Service
Saturday, April 16, 2016, 11 a.m.
Grantham Brethren in Christ Church