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

 Person

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 4 Collections and/or Records:

Collection 105 Oral History Interview with Paul D. Votaw

 Collection
Identifier: CN 105
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Paul Dean Votaw (1917-2007) in which he describes his childhood; education at Wheaton College, Dallas Seminary, and Princeton Seminary; and missionary activities in Syria and Lebanon. The time period covered by the interview is roughly 1917-1954.Reverend Paul Votaw was interviewed by Robert Shuster on March 4, 1980, at the Graham Center offices in Wheaton. The first ten minutes of the interview are barely decipherable due to technical difficulties. The...
Dates: Created: 1980

Collection 283 Oral History Interviews with Nancy Folkerts

 Collection
Identifier: CN 283
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Nancy Wood Folkerts. Topics discussed include her childhood as a pastor's daughter; study at Wheaton College; her marriage; training in London; work as a missionary in British Cameroon (now Republic of Cameroon), especially Bible study and literacy programs for women and 3H clubs for girls; the political and social situation in Cameroon; Cameroon independence; medical problems in Cameroon; the work of her husband, Fred, at the Baptist Teacher Training College and...
Dates: Created: 1984

Collection 344 Oral History Interview with Paul B. Long

 Collection
Identifier: CN 344
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Paul Brown Long in which he discusses his childhood, attendance at Wheaton Academy and Wheaton College (including individuals Hudson, Taylor Armerding, Edward A. Coray, V. Raymond Edman, Billy Graham, Ruth Bell Graham, Clarence Jaarsma, Clarence Simpson, C. Gregg Singer), missionary work in education, evangelism, and church planting in the former Belgian Congo and in Brazil. Other topics include animism, church discipline, Christianity and culture, rearing a...
Dates: Created: 1986

Helen Renich Papers.

 Collection
Identifier: CN 124
Brief Description Two oral history interviews with Helen Gignilliat Torrey Renich in which she describes her grandfather, Reuben Archer Torrey, Sr., and her experiences growing up in China as a child of missionaries. Other topics discussed include her experiences at Wheaton College and culture shock. The collection also includes photographs of her family life in China and Chinese nationals, ca. 1920-30s.Helen Renich was interviewed by Robert Shuster on May 15, 1980 in Michigan and on May 17, 1982...
Dates: Created: 1920-1982

Filtered By

  • Subject: Presbyterians. X

Additional filters:

Subject
Conversion. 3
Evangelistic work. 3
Missionaries. 3
Missions -- Educational work. 3
Presbyterian Church -- Missions. 3
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Presbyterian Church. 3
Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Alumni. 3
Bible colleges. 2
Boarding schools. 2
Catholic Church -- Protestant churches. 2
Catholic Church. 2
Christianity and culture. 2
Church and state. 2
Church work with women. 2
Culture shock. 2
Evangelistic work -- United States. 2
Family. 2
Indigenous church administration 2
Language in missionary work. 2
Medical care 2
Missionaries -- Training of. 2
Missionaries -- Appointment, call, and election. 2
Persecution. 2
Women 2
Women -- Religious life. 2
Women missionaries. 2
World War, 1939-1945. 2
Animism -- Brazil. 1
Animism -- Congo (Democratic Republic) 1
Animism. 1
Arab-Israeli conflict. 1
Arabs. 1
Baptists -- Missions -- Cameroon. 1
Baptists -- Missions. 1
Baptists. 1
Belief and doubt. 1
Bible -- Study and teaching. 1
Bible. 1
Boarding schools -- Africa. 1
Boarding schools -- China. 1
Boarding schools -- Korea. 1
Brazil -- Religion. 1
Brazil. 1
Brazil. -- Social conditions. 1
Cameroon. 1
Cameroon. -- Politics and government. 1
Catholic Church. -- Cameroon. 1
Catholic Church. -- Syria. 1
Children of missionaries -- China. 1
Children of missionaries. 1
China -- History -- 1912-1937. 1
China -- History -- 1937-1945. 1
China -- History -- Boxer Rebellion, 1899-1901. 1
China -- History -- Civil War, 1945-1949. 1
China -- History. 1
Christian education -- Cameroon. 1
Christian education of children. 1
Christian education. 1
Church and state -- Cameroon. 1
Church and state -- Lebanon. 1
Church and state -- Syria. 1
Church discipline. 1
Church growth. 1
Church work with women -- Cameroon. 1
Church work with women -- China. 1
Church work with youth -- Cameroon. 1
Church work with youth. 1
Cities and towns -- Cameroon. 1
Cities and towns. 1
Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Religion. 1
Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Social conditions. 1
Demoniac possession 1
Ecumenical movement. 1
Education -- Cameroon. 1
Education -- Congo (Democratic Republic) 1
Education -- Israel. 1
Education -- Lebanon. 1
Education -- Syria. 1
Education -- United States. 1
Education, Higher 1
Education, Higher -- United States. 1
English language 1
English language -- Foreign speakers. 1
Evangelistic work -- Asia. 1
Evangelistic work -- Australia. 1
Evangelistic work -- Brazil. 1
Evangelistic work -- Canada. 1
Evangelistic work -- China. 1
Evangelistic work -- Congo (Democratic Republic) 1
Evangelistic work -- Lebanon. 1
Evangelistic work -- Syria. 1
Exorcism. 1
Footbinding 1
Footbinding -- China. 1
Fundamentalism. 1
Hunger. 1
Indigenous church administration -- Cameroon. 1
Indigenous church administration -- China. 1
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