Homer Nearpass, Director (1924-1931)

Abstract

Homer O. Nearpass was born in Vermontville, Michigan on June 19, 1880. He was a 1901 graduate of the Culver Military Academy in Indiana and attained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Reserve University in 1903. He earned a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1923. During the World War I, Nearpass served in Europe with the U. S. Army and later with the YMCA.

In 1924, Nearpass was appointed Director of the Youngstown Institute of Technology (now Youngstown State University) by the YMCA. In 1931, however, conflict arose between Nearpass and Howard Jones, the Y's Assistant General Educational Secretary, concerning the primary mission of the Institute. While Nearpass emphasized the Institute's high school and self-improvement curricula, Jones favored higher education and envisioned the establishment of a four-year college in Youngstown. The YMCA Board favored the collegiate approach and dismissed Nearpass. He was replaced by Jones.

To the students under his charge, the news was sudden, unexpected, and sad. Nearpass was well-liked and respected as the kindly “Man at the Desk.” Interestingly, The Jambar reported that Nearpass moved to California during the Christmas 1931 break due to his wife's health.