Voth, Orville (1924-2008)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2008 Sep 29 p. 12

Birth date: 1924 Jan 4

text of obituary:

BETHEL

Former president dies at age 84

NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Orville Voth of Hesston, president of Bethel College from 1967 to 1971, died Sept. 22 after suffering a stroke the previous week. He was 84.

A memorial service was scheduled for 11 a. m. Sept. 26 at Bethel College Mennonite Church.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2008 Oct 6 p. 9

text of obituary:

Former Bethel College president dies

by Melanie Zuercher
Bethel College

NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Orville Voth of Hesston, Bethel College's eighth president, died Sept. 22 in Wichita after suffering a stroke. He was 84.

Voth was president from 1967 to 1971 and served prior to that as interim academic dean.

He was born Jan. 4, 1924, in Rosthern, Sask., the son of John J. and Mariecha Voth, and grew up as a Bethel "campus kid." His father taught Bible and industrial arts from 1925 to 1946 and served as superintendent of buildings and grounds from 1936 to 1948.

Voth's studies at Bethel were interrupted in 1943 when he was drafted into Civilian Public Service. He served in Fort Collins, Colo., and Kalamazoo, Mich.

In 1945 he married Helen M. Voran of Belmont. He graduated from Bethel in 1948 and earned a doctorate in biochemistry at Pennsylvania State University.

Voth began his teaching career at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. After his tenure at Bethel he returned to Kansas Wesleyan as vice president of academic affairs. He ended his career as director of independent study at the University of Kansas.

James Juhnke, professor of history during Voth's tenure at Bethel, recalled that on Nov. 11, 1966, when Voth was academic dean, he joined a "Repentance Walk" from the campus to the North Newton post office, an early protest against the Vietnam War organized by the college Peace Club.

"That event divided the campus," Juhnke said. "It was especially dramatic for a top administrator to participate because President Vernon Neufeld had been critical of the plan for the Repentance Walk. I took it as an expression of Orville's commitment to the Mennonite peace witness."

Juhnke said two of Voth's objectives as Bethel president that he made significant progress on were improvement of relations with the city of Newton and an improved football team. Bethel's famed football coach Otto Unruh returned to the college during the Voth administration.

John Sheriff, who has served as Bethel's academic dean and as interim president and is currently executive vice president for institutional development, began his teaching career in English after Voth hired him at Bethel.

"Orville loved the college and supported it in every way he could, including financially," Sheriff said. "Truly from his childhood to his death, Bethel was important in his life."

Voth is survived by his wife, Helen; four daughters, Judy Fisk of Salina, Marian Robinson of Newton, Kathryn McChesney Voth of Hesston and Peggy Voth of Lawrence; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Services were held Sept. 26 at Bethel College Mennonite Church.