Former Kent State professor passes away Saturday

Dwayne Yates

Phillip Shriver, former Kent State professor and Miami University president, died Saturday in Oxford. He was 88.

Shriver was born in Cleveland in 1922. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and graduate degrees from both Harvard and Columbia. He spent time in the Navy during World War II, working his way up to officer and participating in battles in the Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

After the Navy, Shriver became a professor at Kent State in 1947 until he became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1963. He held that position for two years and wrote a book called “The Years of Youth,” which covers the first 50 years of Kent State’s history.

In 1965, Shriver was named 17th president of Miami University. During his time as president, he oversaw campus expansions in Middletown, Hamilton and in the German city of Luxembourg. In all, the university constructed 42 buildings during his time as president. Shriver went on to teach at the university until h`is retirement in 1998.

Shriver is survived by his wife of 67 years, Martha, and five children.