Livin' at the 'Mont
Meet the Van Hise family
by Tim Suda
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Features
Piedmont has had many influential people to attribute success to since the college was started. Many people don't know about one of the early families who was extremely important during the starting years of the college: he Van Hise family.
William Henry Van Hise and Mary Harvey (Goodrich) Van Hise moved to Demorest on Dec. 25, 1891 from Minden, Neb. with their two daughters. Before coming to Demorest, the Van Hises became a family of educators. William Henry Van Hise was a scientist and an educator in Nebraska and his eldest son, Dr. Charles Richard Van Hise, was a professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Charles Richard Van Hise later became president of the University of Wisconsin and concentrated his work there until his death in 1918. The members of the Van Hise family who were important to Piedmont College were William Henry Van Hise and his youngest daughter, Olive May Van Hise.
Olive May Van Hise was educated at the University of Nebraska. She became a teacher immediately after the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute opened. Her main focus was physical education but she also taught a few science courses. She stayed on as faculty until 1924 when she retired from Piedmont College.
William Henry Van Hise was one of the petitioners for the establishment of the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute. While he never taught at the college, he worked at both the Demorest Seminary and the Demorest Normal School. There he taught science classes including botany and geology. Because of his dedication to education in the area, it was only natural that William Henry Van Hise became a trustee member for the college, where he stayed until 1903.
The Van Hises were a traditional Congregationalist family who helped to shape Demorest into what it is now. The Van Hises are now buried in Demorest Cemetery. The family was so in love with the area that they moved the body of their deceased son to be in the cemetery next to their plots.
William Henry Van Hise and Mary Harvey (Goodrich) Van Hise moved to Demorest on Dec. 25, 1891 from Minden, Neb. with their two daughters. Before coming to Demorest, the Van Hises became a family of educators. William Henry Van Hise was a scientist and an educator in Nebraska and his eldest son, Dr. Charles Richard Van Hise, was a professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Charles Richard Van Hise later became president of the University of Wisconsin and concentrated his work there until his death in 1918. The members of the Van Hise family who were important to Piedmont College were William Henry Van Hise and his youngest daughter, Olive May Van Hise.
Olive May Van Hise was educated at the University of Nebraska. She became a teacher immediately after the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute opened. Her main focus was physical education but she also taught a few science courses. She stayed on as faculty until 1924 when she retired from Piedmont College.
William Henry Van Hise was one of the petitioners for the establishment of the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute. While he never taught at the college, he worked at both the Demorest Seminary and the Demorest Normal School. There he taught science classes including botany and geology. Because of his dedication to education in the area, it was only natural that William Henry Van Hise became a trustee member for the college, where he stayed until 1903.
The Van Hises were a traditional Congregationalist family who helped to shape Demorest into what it is now. The Van Hises are now buried in Demorest Cemetery. The family was so in love with the area that they moved the body of their deceased son to be in the cemetery next to their plots.
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Dino Vlahos
posted 5/09/08 @ 3:46 PM EST
I have recently completed a genealogy research on this branch of the Van Hise family for a Mr. Albert Van Hise who is the great-grandson of William Van Hise. (Continued…)
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