OSCAR REMICK, 69 Retired college president dies

Word of Oscar Remick's illness reached Westminster last month.
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- It will be Oscar Remick's unending energy that will stick with Westminster College, his former employees said.
Remick, 69, retired president of Westminster College, died Monday at his home in Maine after a battle with cancer. He served as president and then chancellor of Westminster College from 1987 to 1997.
"Have you heard the phrase 24/7? Oscar Remick was that. If he wasn't in his office working, he was at home working. We used to wonder when he slept. He had the same energy level at a 7 p.m. meeting as he did at a 7 a.m. meeting," said Gloria Cagigas, Westminster's vice president for institutional advancement.
Remick, who stood under 6 feet, often referred to himself as one of the "tiny titans," a play on the college's athletic team nickname The Titans, Cagigas said.
"His energy level was that of our towering Titans," she said.
His legacy: Remick is most remembered for bringing new technology to the campus and helping revive it at time when there were rundown buildings and an unclear direction academically, Westminster officials say.
"Oscar Remick served Westminster with vigor and foresight, & quot; said Westminster College President R. Thomas Williamson. "Oscar and Emma [his wife] touched thousands of lives during their decade in New Wilmington, and they continued to work tirelessly behind the scenes to help Westminster fulfill its mission of helping men and women develop the competencies, commitments and characteristics that have distinguished human beings at their best. He will be missed, but not forgotten."
Williamson noted that it is fitting that the Remick Admissions House, named for the past president, is the starting point for the next generation of Westminster students.
Biography: A nationally-recognized scholar in religion, philosophy and the arts, Remick earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern College, a divinity degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from Boston University.
An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he received seven honorary doctorates in recognition of his contributions to higher education. He also earned two Fulbright grants to serve and study in Germany and India.
Before joining Westminster in 1987, Remick served for seven years as president of Alma College in Alma, Mich. Before that, he was a philosophy professor and dean of arts, humanities and international education at Fredonia State University of New York. He served as president of Chautauqua Institution in western New York from 1971-77.
Cagigas said word of his illness reached the college only last month and it was shocking for most to learn of his death. She recently received a two-page letter from Remick reminiscing about his days on campus.
"He believed God called him to come to Westminster. He felt he laid a solid foundation that successors could build on," she said.
Remick's wife and three adult sons are expected to travel to Westminster sometime this summer for a memorial service.