Dates

• Majority of material found within 1940 - 1987

Extent

1 box Linear Feet (Ralph E. Heiges (April 20, 1905-January 1987) was raised in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. He earned a Normal School Certificate from Shippensburg in 1923 and a Bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College in 1925. He received his MA and PhD in Social Studies from Columbia University. Dr. Heiges taught history at Royersford High School, Royersford, Pennsylvania, and government at Findlay, Ohio. At Clarion State Teachers College, he taught Social Studies from 1934 to 1936. Dr. Heiges came to teach at Indiana State Teachers College (ISTC – later IUP) in 1936 as a Professor of Social Studies. In 1940, he was appointed head of the department. On June 1, 1942, Dr. Heiges was appointed Dean of Instruction at ISTC. Following the death of Indiana State Teachers College President Dr. Joseph Michael Uhler, Ralph E. Heiges served as acting President from August 25, 1947 until July 1, 1948 when Dr. Willis E. Pratt was appointed President of ISTC. In 1955, Dr. Heiges served as Dean of Instruction at Shippensburg State Teachers College, and was President of Shippensburg from 1956 until his retirement in 1970. Dr. Heiges also studied at Harvard in the summer of 1959, and he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor Laws by Ursinus College at the school’s annual Founders Day Convocation in October 1960. Ralph E. Heiges had memberships in the following: Phi Delta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, Tau Kappa Alpha, the Masons, Kiwanis, and the Indiana Hospital Board. He belonged to the Community Chest, the Shakespeare Club, and he was a founding member and later President of the Indiana County Historical Society. Dr. Heiges published many articles about educational reform, and he was well known for his administrative role at Indiana State Teachers College and Shippensburg State Teachers College. He died in January 1987 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.) : The Ralph E. Heiges Papers is housed in one archival box and deal with his years at Indiana State Teachers College, and are limited to correspondence, speeches, publications he wrote, and source materials for presentations. The collection was donated by Ralph E. Heiges in 1985.

Language of Materials

English