Dr. Frank Ephraim Welles (April 1852 - April 13, 1927) was an American professor born in New York State. He was a member of the senior class of the Brockport Normal School before deciding to transfer in 1871 to the newly opened Geneseo State Normal School in Geneseo, NY. While at Geneseo, Frank E. Welles became a founding member of the

Delphic Fraternity The Delphic Fraternity, Inc., also known as Delphic of Gamma Sigma Tau (), is a historic multicultural fraternity originally founded in New York State in 1871 and re-established in 1987. The fraternity can trace its origin back to the ''Delphic ...

and was elected its first president. Welles was part of the first graduating class of students of the Geneseo Normal School in 1872. After graduation, Welles taught at the local high school in Nunda, NY and later became the school's principal. He then eventually became the Superintendent of the Utica City School District in Utica, NY. Welles received a bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1886. In 1889, after his work in Utica, Welles accepted a teaching position at the Geneseo Normal School (today SUNY Geneseo.) There he chaired the Department of

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

where he taught Latin and Greek. He then became assistant principal and remained with the Geneseo State Normal School for 23 years. Welles received his master's degree in 1893 from his alma mater Illinois Wesleyan University and his degree of Doctor of Philosophy from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

. Welles was a leader of the community

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, a member of the

National Educational Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

, the Livingston County

Historical Society A historical society (sometimes also preservation society) is an organization dedicated to preserving, collecting, researching, and interpreting historical information or items. Originally, these societies were created as a way to help future gen ...

, and the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

,Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, Volume 129 By Freemasons. Grand Lodge of the State of New York, May 1910. holding the title of Grand Master Mason of his local lodge in 1895 and 1896. After retiring from education in 1922, Dr. Welles became a farmer in Schenectady, NY and died on April 13, 1927, in Great Neck, NY. He was survived by his wife Cornelia and their four children; James, Mary, Colin, and Frank Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welles, Frank E. State University of New York at Geneseo faculty 1852 births 1927 deaths