Obituary of William Edgar Toombs

WILLIAM EDGAR TOOMBS, 95, of State College, died on April 4, 2015 at Foxdale Village, State College. Born on February 2, 1920 in Philadelphia, PA the son of Edgar and Cordelia (nee Parry) Toombs. In 1943 he married Jean Buckley who predeceased him in 2012. He is survived by three children, W. Scott Toombs of New Canaan, CT, Gwenyth Carton of Bakersfield, CA and David E. Toombs of Lowell, MI; one brother, Sheldon Toombs of Phoenixville, PA. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Richard A. Toombs of Oxford, MD, 2010 and Robert Edward Toombs, 1926. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Alyson Worthington of New Canaan, CT; Jami Lower of Nantucket, MA; Caitlin Toombs of Boston, MA; Lori Fletcher of Traverse City, MI; Nathaniel Carton of San Jose, CA; Elizabeth Carton of Long Beach, CA; Laura Moon of Tehachapi, CA; Matt Carton of Oakland, CA; Chris Carton of Bakersfield, CA; Stacy Sachen of Park City, UT; and Zachary Sachen of Park City, UT; and great grandchildren, Tabitha Elezi Worthington; Victoria Elezi Worthington; Camilla Worthington; Mayson Lower; Bayley Lower; Riley Sachen-Goode and Nikko Fletcher. Educated in the Philadelphia schools he received a B.S. at West Chester University (PA) in 1942 with majors in Biology and English. From the University of Pennsylvania he attained an MA in 1949 and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1971. He was a graduate of the US Navy Postgraduate Schools (Intelligence) and, earlier, the Midshipmens School at Northwestern University where he taught for nine months after his first short period of sea duty. He was on active duty in the US Navy during World War II and Korea, served in the active Reserve for eighteen years, retiring with the rank of Captain. In World War II, he was a fire control and gunnery officer aboard USS Mobile (CL63), USS Sacramento (PG19) and USS Daly (DD519) serving in the Atlantic and Pacific. He was on the first ship to enter Nagasaki less than a month after the A bomb and before the treaty was signed. He was qualified as a senior watch officer aboard the light cruiser Mobile. During the Korean emergency he was one of three Naval officers on the briefing team of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon. Appointed to the faculty of Drexel University in 1946 he was an Associate Professor and then Dean of Men from 1953 until 1966. He chaired the scholarship committee and two major building committees. At the University of Michigan he was the assistant to the dean at the Rackham School of Graduate Studies until 1971. At Penn State University he had a full career in research and teaching at the Center for the Study of Higher Education serving as Director from 1980 to 1985. More than twenty doctorates were awarded under his supervision. He retired as an Emeritus Professor in 1989. Notable areas of professional interest included faculty development, education for the professions, and design of the undergraduate curriculum. Numerous articles, monographs and papers reflect those specialties. These interests were shared abroad with scholars in Venezuela, Brazil, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, and at two UNESCO conferences in Spain. He held a strong continuing interest in intercultural/interracial education and helped establish the first interracial YMCA camp in 1949-50. He was a Trustee and field interviewer for the African Scholarship Program, American Universities (ASPAU) based at Harvard University from 1960 to 1970. This work took him to Zanzibar, Tanzania, Malawi, and Somalia. At the University of Michigan he directed the Intensive Summer Opportunity Program that brought juniors and a few young faculty members from traditional Black colleges to the University for a term of advanced study. At various times he held membership and offices in the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), the National Association of Student Personnel Association (NASPA), and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) He received the Howard Bowen Career Achievement Award from that organization in 1997. He was a long time member of The Nature Conservancy, the American Birding Association, the Audubon Society and the State College Bird Club. For a decade he enjoyed flying small planes as a licensed private pilot. In recent years his activities turned to writing poetry and fiction. He resided at Foxdale Village in retirement since 2005. In the Philadelphia area and in Washington, D.C. he was active in Scouting, served on the Campus Ministry Board, the Westminster Foundation, and Kiwanis committees. A memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at State College Presbyterian Church, 132 W. Beaver Ave., State College, with the Reverend Joel Blunk officiating. Burial will be in Boalsburg Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be directed to the Foxdale Village Employee Fund, 500 E. Marilyn, State College, PA 16801. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com