Wescoe Namesake Dies at 83

W. Clarke Wescoe ’41, for whom The Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College is named, died February 29 in Mission, Kan. He was 83.

A native of Allentown, Wescoe attended Muhlenberg thanks to a wealthy family friend who paid for Wescoe’s education. He graduated first in his class and went on to graduate from Cornell University Medical School in 1944. He served as a pharmacology research fellow and instructor at Cornell before taking a lifetime professor position at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and Medical Center. From 1953-60, Wescoe was dean of the school and director of the medical center. At age 40, Wescoe became the nation’s youngest-ever university president when he was named chancellor of the University of Kansas. He served as chancellor from 1960-69 before returning to New York and, eventually, Allentown, where he was named CEO of Sterling Drug Company, which merged with Kodak and was sold to Bayer.

A life trustee of Muhlenberg College, Wescoe received an Alumni Achievement Award in 1955 and an honorary doctorate in 1957. In 1998, the School of Professional Development was named for him, and in 2002, the Muhlenberg Evening College was renamed The Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College in his honor. Trustees have called Wescoe Muhlenberg’s “most illustrious and accomplished alumnus.”

“W. Clarke Wescoe had a distinguished career in higher education,” said President Randy Helm in a written statement following Wescoe’s death. “Given his commitment to the College and his belief in lifelong learning, naming our continuing education program in his honor was more than appropriate.”

Predeceased by his wife, Barbara, Wescoe is survived by three children – Barbara, William and David – as well as five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Muhlenberg to Offer New Degree
in Neuroscience

The Muhlenberg faculty have approved the addition of a bachelor of science degree in neuroscience to the curriculum. The interdisciplinary major, which combines coursework from psychology, philosophy, biochemistry, biology and a new neuroscience department, reflects the College’s commitment to liberal education and increasing student interest in neuroscience. Directed by
Dr. Jeremy Teissere, assistant professor of biology, the program will be available beginning in the fall of 2004.

“A study of the brain can’t just include the natural sciences, but also those fields that ask larger questions about the meanings of minds and brains,” says Teissere. “We crafted a unique and exciting major that reflects this mission, allowing students to study in and between traditional academic disciplines as they become scholars of the brain. Thus, the major will ask students to become scholars in biology, psychology, philosophy and mathematics in order to foster an integrated understanding of the underpinnings of human behavior.”

The neuroscience program will require four core neuroscience classes as well as eight cognate courses in science and three electives for a total of 15 major courses. Three new neuroscience courses – Mind and Brain, Topics in Neuroscience and Neuroscience Research/Independent Study – will be added to the curriculum. Neuroscience majors will be required to complete Principles of Biology I, II and III, General Chemistry I and II, Calculus I, Introduction to Psychology and Philosophy of Mind.

Neuroscience is the first new major at Muhlenberg since the addition of dance in 1999. Muhlenberg is the fourth Lehigh Valley institution to offer neuroscience; Lehigh University, Lafayette College and Cedar Crest College also offer a degree in neuroscience.