Albert Boynton Storms (April 1, 1860 – July 1, 1933) was a professor, university administrator, and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was President of Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; and the second president of

Baldwin-Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace C ...

Berea, Ohio Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...

Education

Storms was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1860. He graduated the public schools of Ann Arbor and then attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, earning his A.B. in 1883, and his master's degree in 1884.

Early career

Storms immediately entered the ministry, in the

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

conference of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

in 1884, and apprenticing until his ordination in 1886. During this time, he served in numerous pastorates in

Franklin, Michigan Franklin is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,150 at the 2010 census. The community is known for large, estate-style homes. The downtown was designated as an historic district, t ...

Hudson, Michigan Hudson is a city in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,307 at the 2010 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Hudson Township, but the two are administered autonomously. History Hudson was named for Dr. Daniel ...

, Harper Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church and Gass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in Detroit. He then served in churches in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, and

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

College Administrator

Storms' reputation grew, and he was given the post of President of the Iowa State College, (now,

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

) in 1903. During this period, Storms was awarded

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducati ...

in 1903 and

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. His ...

in 1905. Storms' skills as an administrator would blossom during this period.

Return to Ministry

After seven years at Iowa State, Storms returned to the ministry. He served as pastor of the Central Avenue Methodist Church in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

until 1915. He was instrumental in the Indianapolis Conference, and his skills did not go unnoticed. He was called to serve as the Second President of Baldwin-Wallace College in 1918.

Return to Academia

When Storms arrived at Baldwin-Wallace, the fledgling college was in much disarray. The first president of the college, Arthur Louis Breslich was ousted by the student body for what appeared to be pro-

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sentiments during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His fifteen years at Baldwin- Wallace were marked with phenomenal growth. To his credit, the College might have failed without his dillegence. Storms oversaw the growth of enrollments, endowments, programs, and faculty during the postbellum period. He was the last college president to teach regular classes on top of his busy schedule as president.

References

Sources

*Iowa State University", (1904-1924) ''Alumni Magazine'' *Baldwin-Wallace College Archives ''Memoir of Albert Boynton Storms'', ''Alumnus Magazine''

External links

*
Encyclopedia of Baldwin Wallace History: Albert Boynton Storms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storms, Albert Boynton 1860 births 1933 deaths University of Michigan alumni Presidents of Iowa State University American Methodist clergy Presidents of Baldwin Wallace University People from Ann Arbor, Michigan