Swiger, Avis
Avis Fitz Randolph Swiger (1903-1976), of Berea, West Virginia, taught at BTS and Lee for 37 years (1935–1972). A former school teacher, she studied for three years at Salem College. Upon joining the Church of God, she completed the BTS correspondence course, after which she and her husband, Archie, desired to attend BTS. Upon learning of her teaching experience, President J.H. Walker Sr. recruited her as a teacher. Through the years, Swiger taught Old Testament, missions, and personal evangelism, and she often wrote her own textbooks. She also served as dean of women for several years.
Swiger is remembered for her influential guidance and counsel to countless students, as well as encouraging students to memorize scripture, which proved to help preachers in delivering their sermons. Former student Clyne Buxton remembers her as “remarkably gifted as an instructor and genuinely spiritual.”
To honor her long-term commitment to teaching, in 1958 the Alumni Association created the Avis Swiger Student Loan Fund, which for many years was the principal loan fund available to make it possible for many to attend Lee. She was the first faculty member awarded an honorary doctorate by Lee’s Board of Directors, and she was among the first faculty members to be awarded Professor Emeritus status.
Upon her retirement in 1972, Swiger was honored at the General Assembly for her direct influence upon and instruction to hundreds of Church of God ministers. President Charles W. Conn noted she was “one of the most loved and dedicated faculty members ever to teach at Lee College.”
/ L.F. Morgan
Swiger is remembered for her influential guidance and counsel to countless students, as well as encouraging students to memorize scripture, which proved to help preachers in delivering their sermons. Former student Clyne Buxton remembers her as “remarkably gifted as an instructor and genuinely spiritual.”
To honor her long-term commitment to teaching, in 1958 the Alumni Association created the Avis Swiger Student Loan Fund, which for many years was the principal loan fund available to make it possible for many to attend Lee. She was the first faculty member awarded an honorary doctorate by Lee’s Board of Directors, and she was among the first faculty members to be awarded Professor Emeritus status.
Upon her retirement in 1972, Swiger was honored at the General Assembly for her direct influence upon and instruction to hundreds of Church of God ministers. President Charles W. Conn noted she was “one of the most loved and dedicated faculty members ever to teach at Lee College.”
/ L.F. Morgan