This is a list of the people associated of Upsala College including the school's presidents, its faculty and alumni. Upsala College was a Lutheran-affiliated, private college located in East Orange, New Jersey (1899–1995). After years of declining enrollment and financial problems, Upsala College closed in May 1995.
Presidents of Upsala College Nine men have served as the president of Upsala College in its 102-year history."Series I Presidential Papers" in the "Upsala College records, 1893-1995" held in the collection of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois). Retrieved 16 August 2013. Most of them were Lutheran clergymen. Only one, the Rev. Dr. Evald Benjamin Lawson (1904–1965), was an alumnus of Upsala College.
PortraitPresidentYears in officeEducationNotes 1 — Rev. Lars Herman Beck(1859–1935) 1893–1910 B.A., Augustana College (1885) attended Augustana Theological Seminary (1885–87) Ph.D., Yale University (1892) Chosen to be the first president by the Augustana Synod at its annual meeting. October 1893, met with first 16 students in a Brooklyn, New York church basement. School offered land in Kenilworth, New Jersey in 1898, Upsala became a four-year degree-granting college in 1903—graduating its first students with B.A. degrees in 1905. 2 — Rev. Peter Froeberg(1873–1954) 1910–1920 B.A., Augustana College (1898) B.D. Augustana Theological Seminary (1902) attended Yale University, 1900–1905 Often borrowed money in his own name to pay the college's debts, including securing a large mortgage from Scandia Life Insurance Company to pay the entire debt and end foreclosure proceedings. 3 — Rev. Carl Gustav Erickson(1877–1936) 1920–1936 B.A., Augustana College (1904) B.D., Augustana Theological Seminary (1908) Reorganized the curriculum and faculty, Student body increased from 300 to 1,500 during his tenure. Raised $465,000 to develop the school including 1923 purchase of 45-acre campus in East Orange, New Jersey. 4 — Rev. Evald Benjamin Lawson(1904–1965) 1938–1965 B.A., Upsala College B.D. Augustana Theological Seminary Studied at Union Theological Seminary M.A. Biblical Seminary (1933) S.T.D., Biblical Seminary (1937) Expanded the college's East Orange campus; new buildings were built including the Beck Hall, residence halls, library and chapel. 5 — Rev. Carl Gustaf Fjellman(1919–2011) 1966–1976 B.A., Augustana College (1941) B.D., Augustana Theological Seminary (1945) attended University of California, Berkeley Ph.D., Drew University (1955) Oversaw completion of Puder Hall for the sciences (1968), College Center (1970), Art Center (1971), and townhouse complex.Staff. Obituary for Carl Gustaf Fjellman in The Star-Ledger (3 July 2011). Retrieved 16 August 2013. Changing demographics made multiculturalism, integration and diversity key issues. 6 — Rodney Otto Felder(1927–1997) 1976–1984 B.A., State University of New York at Albany (1949) M.A., Columbia University (1953) Ed.D., Columbia University (1957) Expanded school by acquiring the Wirths Campus in Wantage Township, Sussex County, New Jersey. Previously a teacher and administrator in public school system and taught at various colleges. Last president of Finch College in New York City (1970–77).Arenson, Karen W. "Rodney O. Felder Dies at 69; Finch College's Last President" in The New York Times (26 January 1997). Retrieved 16 August 2013. 7 — David Eugene Schramm(1936–2021) 1986–1988 B.A. Concordia College (1958) M.Div., Concordia Seminary (1961) Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis (1971) Brief presidency saw declining enrollment. Resigned over "differences of opinion as to how the college could best achieve its goal while preserving its mission" with the trustees.Associated Press (AP). "Metro Datelines: Upsala President Resigns From Post" in The New York Times (27 October 1988). Retrieved 16 August 2013. 8 — Rev. Robert Edgar Karsten(1930–2014) 1988–1994 B.A., Augustana College (1952) M.Div., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (1956) Ph.D., University of Denver (1972) Attempted to stem tide of serious financial problems, declining enrollment and academic standards, brought in international students. 9 — Paul Victor DeLomba(1935–2018) 1994–1995 Partner and project manager with Price Waterhouse,Allen, David Grayson and McDermott, Kathleen. Accounting for Success: A History of Price Waterhouse in America, 1890-1990 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, 1993), 268. DeLomba was hired in 1994 by the board of trustees to close the college.
Faculty and staff
Academic faculty Richard Toensing, composer and music educator J. E. Wallace Wallin, visiting psychology professor, psychologist, early proponent of education for the mentally handicapped
Athletic staff Ron Rothstein, professional NBA basketball coach, former college basketball player, former teacher and basketball coach (1974–1975)
Alumni This list of alumni includes both those who completed degree programs and graduated from Upsala College, as well as those who attended but did not graduate.
Academia and research NameDegree (year)Description Joan W. Bennett B.S. 1963 geneticist John Langston Gwaltney B.A. 1952 anthropology professor Birger A. Pearson B.A. 1957 early Christianity and Gnosticism scholar professor emeritus of religious studies at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, BerkeleyPearson, Birger A. Birger Albert Pearson - Curriculum Vitae, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Politics and public service NameDegree (year)Description Betty Boyd former Colorado state legislator David Demarest political operative, White House communications director (Reagan, Bush administrations) Stanford University administrator Frank J. Dodd New Jersey Senate president New Jersey Casino Control Commission member businessmanFrank J. “Pat” Dodd, New Jersey Casino Control Commission. Accessed March 7, 2018. "Dodd attended Upsala College and Seton Hall University." Brian Fischer B.S. 1966 Commissioner of the New York State Department of Correctional Services Nia Gill B.A. 1971 New Jersey state senatorNew Jersey Legislature. Members: Legislative District 34 - Senator Nia H. Gill Esq. (D). Retrieved 24 May 2013. Don Guardian B.A. 1975 New Jersey assemblyman Donald Jacobs Retrieved 4 March 2017. B.S. 1987 Chief information officer, Bucks County, PA real estate investor and developer Fire Marshal, Lehigh County, PA former private sector CIO and executive CIO consultant former New Jersey politician, fire commissioner & emergency management director - Sussex County BS - Mathematics conc: Natural Science, Edison State University, 1989 M.Div studies - New Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1993 MBA - Southern New Hampshire University, 2017 Hymen B. Mintz (1909–1986) A.B. 1929 New Jersey General Assembly from 1954 to 1957Manuscript Group 1287, Hymen B. Mintz (1909-1986), New Jersey assemblyman and collector , New Jersey Historical Society. Accessed March 27, 2018. "Hymen B. Mintz (1909-1986) was born in Newark, New Jersey (Essex County). He was educated at: Lafayette Grammar School, Newark; Central High School, Newark; and at Upsala College where he graduated with an A.B. (1929)." Matthew Patrick Massachusetts state representative Richie Roberts did not graduate former New Jersey police detective and defense attorney most recognized because of his role in the arrest, prosecution and later defense of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas. Roberts was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the film American Gangster. Harold J. Wirths (born 1965) A.S.Member of the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018, representing the 24th Legislative District Served as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2010–2016)Assemblyman Harold J. "Hal" Wirths (R), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed March 7, 2018. "Education: A.S. Upsala College (Business)"]
Arts and entertainment +NameDegree (year)Description Louis Chu Asian-American author, Eat a Bowl of Tea Richie Davis Canadian Football League player and Grey Cup champion Kay Gardella New York Daily News television critic Walt Housman football player Don Kirshner songwriter, rock music producerSchudel, Matt. "Don Kirshner, hit-making rock impresario of the 1960s, dies at 76" in The Washington Post (18 January 2012). Retrieved 24 May 2013. Allen Klein B.S. 1956 music industry executive, talent manager, and pioneer in freeform radio Dick Kryhoski Major League Baseball first baseman, 1949 World Series with New York Yankees Mike Largey (born 1960) basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Bob McCann did not graduate professional basketball player Robert W. Peterson newspaper reporter and author Jerry Recco did not graduate radio personality (WFAN, WHTG, WINS) Gunārs Saliņš Latvian modernist poet Vin Scelsa radio personality, created Idiot's Delight freeform radio program Sally M. Walker B.A. 1975 juvenile science and nonfiction author
Fictional alumni The protagonist of Philip Roth's novel American Pastoral (1997), Seymour "Swede" Levov, and his wife, Dawn Levov, are graduates of Upsala.
References