Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Fred Orr Wygal papers, Collection # M 154, Special Collections and Archives Department, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Biographical / Historical

Fred Orr Wygal (1900-1980), a leader in the field of education in Virginia, was a native of Dryden in Lee County, Virginia. He received his bachelor's degree from Emory and Henry College in 1926 and his master's degree from the University of Virginia in 1930. He was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Emory and Henry College in 1967, and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by that institution in 1974.

Wygal began his educational career as a classroom teacher in Lee County in the mid-1920s, and served as principals of three high schools in Washington and Grayson counties between 1927 and 1939. In 1939, he was named superintendent of the Radford public schools, where he served until 1942, when he was appointed Director of the Division of Guidance and Adult Education for the Virginia Department of Education. He was named Director of the Division of Related Instructional Services in 1954, and in 1958 he became Director of the Division of Teacher Education.

During his years of service with the Department of Education, he took a leave of absence to become acting chief executive of Longwood College during the absence of Francis L. Lankford in 1962-1963. He retired from the State Department of Education in 1964, and became Dean of Students at Ferrum College. He served in this position until 1966, and he again served as acting president of Longwood College from 1967 until 1968. In 1968, he was appointed as acting executive administrator of Virginia Commonwealth University when that University was created by the merger of the medical College of Virginia and Richmond Professional Institute in 1968. He held that post until 1969. In 1968, he was named director of the Virginia Board of Vocational Rehabilitation's study for a proposed long-range plan for vocational rehabilitation. He returned to Ferrum College in 1970.

In addition to his contributions in the educational field, Wygal was a long-time member of Reveille Methodist Church in Richmond, where he taught Young Adult Bible Class for thirty years, and served three terms as Chairman of the Administrative Board. He was also a former president of Rotary International and a former director of the Southern Council of Teacher Education. He was a member of the United Methodist Conference Board of Education, a member of the Richmond Community Council and he was chairman of the Richmond District Committee on Adult Education.

Wygal was honored by three Virginia colleges for his associations with them. The faculty center at Ferrum College, the music building at Longwood College, and the school administration building at Radford University are all named for him.

Wygal was married to Billie Robinson and had one son, Fred O. Wygal, Jr.

Scope and Contents

The Wygal Papers contain primarily materials related to education in Virginia, particularly higher education, and to activities of the Methodist Church. Included in the collection are numerous reports of self- studies conducted by elementary schools in Virginia in which Wygal participated, as well as an investigative study of Radford University. In addition, the collection contains a report and materials related to a self-study conducted by Reveille Methodist Church in which Wygal took an active part. Wygal's correspondence, both personal and official, provides a clear sense of his commitment to and involvement in the quality of education in Virginia, and much of the material included in the collection is related to his experience in the administration of higher education. Wygal was much in demand as a speaker, both in his capacity as an educator and as an informed layman in his church, and the collection contains over 200 public speaking items, including outlines, notes and texts of speeches and lectures. Wygal's relationship with the Methodist Church in Virginia was a long and active one, and his influence was felt in many areas of his church's life. The collection contains minutes and related materials of the Administrative Board of Reveille Methodist Church in Richmond, as well as reports and studies of the Wesley Foundation campus ministry at several Virginia schools. Wygal was involved in the Commission for Christian Higher Education, and his papers contain materials related to this activity.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by series and topically therein. Series I: Personal and Biographical ; Series II: Educational Career ; Series III: Elementary Schools Self-Study Reports; Series IV: Methodist Church Affiliation.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• College administrators -- Virginia
• Education -- Virginia.
• Education, Higher -- Virginia.
• Educators -- Virginia
• Methodist Church -- Virginia.
• Reveille United Methodist Church (Richmond, Va.)