I walked through the DMZ as the sun began to rise. I look out to the buildings, outlined by the rising light. The dorm halls stand tall in the morning, their names boldly engraved on the wall; “Bonner”, “Johnson”, “Deatrick”, “Beck”. So much history to these names that no one knows of. I walk past Old Main, crossing the street and slipping in between the Graduate Center and Scheaffer Auditorium. The bustle of students as they walk either to their class or to their dorms echo those of students from long ago, traveling similar routes as we do today. I walk along the sidewalk by the MSU, looking at the buildings near the tops of the hill; “deFrancisco”, “Rickenbach, and ‘Beekey”. All of these buildings were named after people important to this university, but a great many more may never have their contributions shared.
 

   William Deatrick was a tall, lanky man. Short white hair sprouted from the top of his head, and a similar colored mustache curled above his lips. His face was slim, with protruding cheekbones. His glasses, a slim pair of rounded steel, sat gently on his nose. He had spent his whole life in education, with a majority of that time being spent at K.S.N.S. According to a short biography written by Morton L Montgomery in his book “Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania”, Deatrick started his education as a young boy at home, where he was taught Latin and Greek by his father. He soon began primary school, walking over four miles with his brother to get there. At the age of sixteen, Deatrick began to tutor younger students in his hometown. In 1872, Deatrick began to attend Mercersburg College. According to his diploma, he graduated from Mercersburg in 1876 with a Bachelor of Arts. Deatrick wished to continue his educational career, so he returned to Mercersburg College to pursue both a master’s degree and a degree in theology.
 

   According to Deatrick’s notes as well as Montgomery’s biography, upon graduating he spent many years traveling around Pennsylvania. He filled various roles during this time, but in 1889 he was offered (and accepted) a position at Keystone State Normal School. After accepting the offer, Deatrick was instated at K.S.N.S. as the Chair of Psychology and Pedagogy. He also taught classes on poetry, psychology, rhetoric, classical literature, and higher English. He also wrote textbooks on this topic, many of which can be found in the archives. Deatrick also contributed to the local newspaper, served as the advisor to The Keystone Newspaper, and was the faculty correspondent to the Keystone Literary Society. At K.S.N.S, he was contracted to take photographs of the campus and of student activities. These photographs would then be turned into postcards to be sent out to prospective students and to the families of students to show what life was like at Kutztown. Deatrick worked at the Keystone State Normal School until his death in 1925.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Around the same time that Deatrick was working at K.S.N.S., a man named Charles Boyer was hired at the Normal School. He was a man of medium height, with close-cropped brown hair and a friendly smile. According to the book titled “American Boyers,” Boyer had gone to K.S.N.S. in 1877 to pursue a degree in education. After finishing his bachelor’s at K.S.N.S, he went to Muhlenberg to earn his Master of the Arts and become an ordained minister. Before his graduation, 1887, Boyer was hired as the Chair of Latin and Greek at K.S.N.S. During his employment, he studied at the University of Wooster under renowned psychologist Dr. Hugo Munsterberg (who had originally worked for Cambridge University), in which Boyer performed special work in order to obtain his Ph. D.

 

  In 1894, he earned his Ph.D. and continued working full time. Five years later, he was promoted to the position of vice-principal. An article from the Keystone Newspaper said that “his [Boyer’s] promotion was due to his teaching quality and excellence”. During his career, he wrote several textbooks about psychology and education for students to use in their classes. These include books such as “Concrete Psychology”, “Modern Methods for Teachers”, and “History of Education”. In 1928, Boyer retired from the Vice principalship at the age of 68. He retired to Drexel Hill located in Lehigh, Pa, where he lived until his death in 1932.
 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Boyer was not the only alum to work for his alma mater. According to census records, Bright Beck was a student at K.S.N.S. from 1903-1907, with a focus on history and education. He was a tall man, often towering over his coworkers. He had a slim face with a roman styled nose. Thin lips and shallow cheeks created a permanent look of bemusement. He began working at K.S.N.S immediately after graduation.  He worked towards his Ph.D. at Bucknell University for education and history. From 1941-1944 he served as a member of the Faculty Committee on Defense, judging from an article written in The Keystone Newspaper in 1944. He kept working as a professor at K.S.N.S. up until the mid-1940s, where he was promoted to Dean of Men.

 

   During this time, he was also appointed to Chair of Social Studies. Throughout his tenure as Dean of Men, he helped increase the number of students at Kutztown University. He spent 38 years in service at Kutztown University. Even while retired, he lived right down the road from the University and regularly attended events. In 1965, Kutztown honored Beck by naming a dormitory after him. The dedication took place on May 22nd, and he attended the opening ceremony. He accepted an honorary key to the dorm.
 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   1943 brought a new professor to Kutztwown’s campus; Cyrus Beekey. A large, stocky man of roughly medium height, Beekey had a military buzz cut and a piercing gaze that was offset somewhat by his friendly demeanor.  A biology and physics major, Beekey graduated from Albright College in 1927. According to census records, he studied at Cornell University for both his masters and his doctorate. In 1943, after teaching at several middle and high schools, he was invited to Kutztown University to teach Air Force Cadets physics. The next year, KU hired him outright as a professor of biology and as chairman of the science department.
 

   Two years later he was appointed as the Director of Admissions and the Registrar, and he served there for nearly a decade until his eventual appointment to Dean of Instruction. From 1956-1967 he served as Dean of Instruction until the sudden death of the president of the university, Italo L. deFrancisco. He then was appointed to the President of the University. During his tenure, he supervised the construction of five new buildings, as well as increased the number of students by nearly 1,000.
 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   All of these men were remarkable in their own right. Each contributed directly to this institution, helping to build a community at Kutztown based on academic excellence and a student-first mentality. These professors, deans, presidents, and department chairs dedicated much of their lives to Kutztown University, and through the archives, their legacies will live on.