Newspapers / Chowan University Student Newspaper / Feb. 1, 1968, edition 1 / Page 2
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Oscar Creech Named Honorary Life Trustee' The Reverend Oscar Creech of Ahoskie, who served Chowan College as associate to the president, acting president and long-time direc tor of development, gaining a wide reputation for successes as a fund-raiser and planner for meeting college needs, has been honored by its board of trustees and chosen to become the col lege’s first “Honorary Life Trustee.” This title was unanimously bestowed by the college’s board of trustees on Reverend Creech, whose first term as a Chowan trustee began al most 40 years ago. Among many services to Chowan and North Carolina Baptists during his ministry have been contributions as author, historian, college of ficial and pastor. He was pastor of Ahoskie’s First Baptist church for 27 years and, during this pastorate, the man whose multitudes of ac complishments have made him into a figure of almost legendary proportions to people living between the Roanoke and Chowan rivers was ■instrumental in reopening Chowan College, closed by difficulties brought on by World War II. Later, serving as associate to the president, he was instrumental in starting Chowan’s famed School of Graphic Arts. Putting over 30,000 miles a year on his car, traveling for Chowan, he helped raise student enrollment from 87 to more than 1,300 and his efforts were extremely important in bringing a campus valued at about $100,000.00 to its present evaluation of more than $5 million. Originating the Office of Development at Cho wan, he has done everything possible for Cho wan College except classroom teaching. He con siders his hardest task to have been fund-rais ing, but many who gave money for reopening Chowan College, saying “I’m gonna give you this check, but I don’t think you can make a go of it,” now laugh about their lack of faith. He resisted many efforts to get him to be come Chowan College’s president, but when the late Dr. F.O. Mixon became Chowan’s presi dent in 1951 he told Creech, “It is as much the Lord’s will for you to come with Chowan Col lege as it was for me to come,” and he became associate to the president. As chairman of a planning committee for post-war development of Ahoskie during World War II, he laid plans for Roanoke-Chowan hospital and, within two weeks got more than $100,000.00 in pledges for a medical facility now valued at over $1.5 million. “We empha sized getting the best,” he says, “the best doc tors, nurses and medical attention for our peo ple.” Much opposition met efforts to get tax sup port for the hospital, which started as a private enterprise, but as chairman of the election to get tax support he gained a landslide majority. His committee also gained recreational areas for children, and interest in children is natural for him, as he is father of six, came from a fam ily of 10 children, and served as scoutmaster of Ahoskie for 11 years. Before entering the ministry, Rev. Creech, a Wake Forest University graduate, was prin cipal of three high schools and supmrintendent of Nash County Schools, besides being food ad ministrator in Nash County during World War HONORED BY CHOWAN — Reverend Oscar Creech is pictured mth his wife at their home in Ahoskie. The amiable pastor haas been named "Honorary Life Trustee” by Chowan College Board of Trustees. I. After graduation from Southern Baptist sem inary, he pastored Nashville Baptist church for four and a half years, then Red Oak church for another four and a half years before go ing to Ahoskie. He served as chairman of fund-raising drives for Chowan, Meredith, Wake Forest, and all seven of North Carolina’s Baptist colleges; on boards of trustees of Chowan and Meredith colleges and the North Carolina Baptist hos pital; as president of the North Carolina Bap tist Pastors’ conference, being featured speak er on its program, as a vice-president of the North Carolina Baptist State convention, preaching the annual convention sermon, being chairman of the committee on committees and a member of the General Board, as well as being director of THE BIBLICAL RECORDER. The West Chowan Association utilized his sei-vices as clerk and moderator. Awards for outstanding service were bestowed on him by the Ahoskie Rotary club and the Wake Forest alumni asso ciation. Under his supervision, hundreds of trees and many shrubs have been planted on campus since 1951 at Chowan, where his chairmanship of a long-range planning committee contributed multitudes of recommendations to the trustees for Chowan’s growth and development. He and his wife, the former Martha Louise Gulley of Clayton, have been married for more than 60 years. Hobbies they enjoy together include hunting, fishing and raising roses. He planted grapevines for President Whitaker, enjoys trimming shrub bery and trees on Chowan’s campus, and multi tudes of trees he planted on campus include cy press, oaks and pines which tower over Chowan College like the spirit of Oscar Creech towers over life between the Roanoke and Chowan riv ers. A coronary attack slightly slowed his tremen dous pace for several years, but he says, “Its been a good life, a busy life, and I thank God that I was healthy as a bear for 78 years.” His philosophy is sumed up, “I never knew how to say ‘No’ when called on to do the Lord’s work.” Contributions he has made as an author in clude History of Ahoskie Baptist Church and co-authorship of A History of Chowan College, published in 1964. His many services to the college through the years have made Oscar Creech and Chowan College almost synonymous terms in the minds of multitudes of people, and he has become known throughout a wide area as “Mr. Chowan College.” FAVORITE PASTIME — Reverend Creech enjoys his favoriite pastime — fishing on the Chowan River. Mr Creech has afforded a host of his friends with many pleasant hours on the river, and is quick to testify that he “knows where the fish are.” PAGE TWO The Chowanian
Chowan University Student Newspaper
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Feb. 1, 1968, edition 1
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