Edman, V. Raymond (Victor Raymond), 1900-1967.

Person

Staff Only

Dates

Existence: 1900 - 1967

Biographical Statement

Victor Raymond Edman was born in 1900 to Swedish immigrant parents and one of six children. He left home in 1918 to join the army and served for one year, spending much of that time in Allied-occupied Germany. After returning home, he attended college and became a missionary to the Quichua Indians in Ecuador from 1923 to 1928. During this time he married Edith Olson, whom he had met in the United States. He came to Wheaton College in 1936 as an associate professor of history and became the college’s fourth president in 1940, a position he held until he became chancellor in 1965.

During his term as president, the College expanded its financial endowments, its enrollment, and its campus. Fourteen major buildings were erected during his twenty-five year presidency. Buildings included Centennial Gymnasium, Memorial Student Center, Old Dining Hall, Smith Hall, Breyer Science Building, McAlister Conservatory, Health Center, Nicholas Library and Edman Chapel, named by the Trustees in his honor. During this time the College also acquired land for the Black Hills Science Station in South Dakota and HoneyRock Camp in Wisconsin.

Over the years Dr. Edman had a number of serious health problems: typhoid fever (from which he nearly died while in Ecuador), cataracts, gallstones, and ever-increasing heart attacks. One of these attacks, which finally proved fatal, occurred on September 22, 1967, while he delivered a chapel message entitled, “In the Presence of the King.”

Dr. Edman had been a very active public speaker with engagements in Africa, Europe, the Far and Near East, South America, and, of course, all over the United States. He authored nineteen books and numerous articles, most of them devotional in nature. Many were translated into several foreign languages. His correspondence often gave personal counsel and advice and reached thousands. He was a personal friend of Billy Graham and often worked with him on his crusades.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Collection 317 Oral History Interview with Ian H. and Ruth E. Cook

Collection

Identifier: CN 317

Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Ian Harper Cooke and Ruth Eileen (Witmer) Cook, in which Ian describes his childhood and education in South Africa, college education at Wheaton College, training for missionary work, medical missions work in South Africa with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM), the Zulus, apartheid, and the national church; and Ruth describes her childhood, conversion, and intention to become a missionary nurse, education at West Suburban Hospital and Wheaton College,...

Dates: Created: 1985

Found in: Evangelism & Missions Archives / Collection 317 Oral History Interview with Ian H. and Ruth E. Cook

Collection 325 Oral History Interview with Donald W. Berry

Collection

Identifier: CN 325

Scope and Contents Oral history interview in which Berry discusses his conversion, education at Wheaton College, and his work as a pilot and administrator for Mission Aviation Fellowship in Honduras and Southeast Asia. Other topics discussed include. Berry’s service in the Army during World War II, his views on pacifism, the origins of Mission Aviation Fellowship, challenges of MAF, and the effect of life on the mission field on Berry’s family.Donald Berry was interviewed by Robert Shuster on...

Dates: Created: 1986

Found in: Evangelism & Missions Archives / Collection 325 Oral History Interview with Donald W. Berry

Filtered By

Subject: Missions -- Finance. X
Subject: Moravian Church -- Missions. X

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