Presidents

Presidents Collection

Browse below to learn more about the 16 presidents of Crown College.

Rev. J.D. Williams

J.D. Williams is the founder of our school (additional photos here). He opened the school in 1916 and served as president until 1925 when he left for the Philippines to be a missionary. He and his wife Harriet were both incredibly involved in the school and were greatly missed.

Rev. W.F. Christie

W.F. Christie was the second president of the school and served for one year.

Rev. E.C. Swanson

E.C. Swanson served as the third president of the college from 1926 to 1935. He was instrumental in the move to the Englewood Ave. Campus.

Rev. J.A. Peterson

J.A. Peterson served as the fourth president from 1935-1942 while keeping up with his Alliance district work. He personally supervised many of the updates that the Englewood Campus needed before students could move in on time.

Dr. G.D. Strohm

In 1943, Dr. G.D. Strohm became the fifth president of the college. He served for sixteen years, the longest term out of all the presidents to date. The motto used by the school during this time, “Vision, Training, Service”, was created by Dr. Strohm.

Dr. H.T. Hardwick

The 1960s were the “Hardwick Years” at St. Paul due to the sixth president, H.T Hardwick. His years as president of St. Paul began in 1959 and extended to 1968, years of strong accomplishment. Dr. Hardwick memorized the name of each student and made sure every staff member felt appreciated.

Dr. D.J. Trouten

Dr. Donald Trouten also played a major role in the history of the College in the 1960s. During the year and a half interim which he served (1968-1970), perhaps the most momentous event in St. Paul’s history occurred: the purchase of the St. Bonifacius campus.

Dr. A.P. Johnston

Dr. Arthur Johnston had been elected to the college presidency in 1969 and had taken office in early 1970. He provided leadership in the last months on the 1361 Englewood campus and the first days in St. Bonifacius. In 1972 he resigned from his post to return to France.

Dr. F.W. Grubbs

F.W. Grubbs served as the college's ninth president from 1972 to 1980. His administration was characterized by the greatest growth numerically the College had ever seen. The change to a larger institution with more formalized processes challenged the closeness and unity of personnel on campus. But the reorganizational designs served the College well in the years following.

Dr. J.M. Tewinkel

J.M. Tewinkel was selected to serve as the tenth president when an interim was needed. He had been a part of the college since the 1950s when he was hired at the age of 21! Since then he had done a little bit of everything: taught classes, painted hallways, directed choirs, coached teams, and even directed the athletic department! Dr. Tewinkel is very familiar with the college, wrote the book on it a few years later (now out with the 3rd edition), and is one of the presidents to have a dorm named after him.

Dr. L.J. Eagen

Dr. L. John Eagen was selected to be the eleventh president of Crown College. Eagen was 34 years of age at his inauguration, the youngest president in the history of the institution. In an impressive inaugural ceremony on October 15, 1981, Eagen stressed the fact that Crown College was a college of destiny, with a special place and a significant role to fulfill for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ. Dr. Eagen served until 1987.

Dr. Bill W. Lanpher

Dr. Bill Lanpher became the president of the College in 1987. Lanpher came to the Crown staff as vice president for student development in 1985, at which post he served for two years. The College moved strongly into the use of computer technology under the President’s direction.

Dr. Gary Benedict

Dr. Gary Benedict was chosen to serve as the thirteenth president of Crown College. He was the first president to be an alumni of the school, having graduated in 1972. He had the unique experience of previously being a student, administrator, and a Board member.

Dr. Benedict had a good relationship with the students, faculty, and staff. Achievements during his presidency include the new athletic center, student union, and the development of the online program. He very memorably rode into his first chapel on a motorcycle!

Dr. Benedict left to become the president of the Christian Missionary Alliance in 2005.

Tim Savaloja

Tim Savaloja was chosen as the interim and fourteenth president. Having served as CFO of the college since 1997, he had the knowledge and strength to lead the college while a search was conducted for the fifteenth president.

Dr. Richard Mann

The man chosen to be the fifteenth president was Dr. Richard Mann. Dr. Mann had experience as a missionary in China, held a Ph.D., and had been academic dean at Crown since 2000. Dr. Mann brought his abundant energy to his new position, and worked to implement better pay for faculty, create staff and faculty welfare committees, and expand academic programs.

Dr. Joel Wiggins

The current president of Crown College, Dr. Joel Wiggins, is an alumnus of the school (class of ’76). As a student, Dr. Wiggins studied history, became the student body president, and even met his wife Kathy.

In 2013, Dr. Wiggins was inaugurated as the sixteenth president of the college. He brought a variety of experience, including pastoral work and time spent in the entrepreneurial business world. His education culminated in a Ph.D. in communications.

At Crown, Dr. Wiggins emphasizes the importance of building relationships. From greeting each new student personally, attending sports games, and entertaining people in their home, both Dr. and Mrs. Wiggins show how important the people at Crown are to them.