Merle Hoover '41 – A Legacy for Future Generations

The late Merle Hoover '41 spent six years on Susquehanna University's campus – four as a student and two as a member of the faculty. His presence and contributions to the university are still felt more than 80 years after he first stepped foot on campus, thanks to a generous scholarship he created through a gift in his will.

As an undergraduate, Merle was an involved member of the campus community. He participated in the Debating Club, the Susquehanna Players, and the Biemic Society, a math and science interest club. He was also on the staff of the Susquehanna and was an operator at W8TIW, the predecessor of WQSU and Susquehanna's first amateur radio station. Off campus, Merle was a radio announcer at WKOK in Sunbury and learned to fly at the Sunbury airport. After graduation, Merle enlisted in the Navy and served throughout WWII.

After serving in the Navy, he returned to SU to teach physics from 1947 to 1949. At the time, he was one of only five faculty members in the singular "Science and Mathematics" department. Two of his colleagues were also Susquehanna alumni: John W. Hoffman, a near-classmate from 1940, and John Jacob Houtz, who received his undergraduate degree in 1908.

Merle then enjoyed a long and productive career working at RCA as a design master of microprocessors, first in Lancaster and then in Bridgewater, NJ. Over his 40-year tenure there, he was awarded 31 patents in the United States and held at least one in Germany. These patents' original correspondence and documentation, along with years of Merle's research notes from his time at RCA, can be found in the Blough-Weis Library archives. An example of his work dated 1957 is pictured here.

In a note describing his plans for a bequest to the university, Merle wrote, "If I recall, it was Horace Mann who said, 'Be ashamed to die until you've won some great battle for humanity.' Scholarships for future generations is the best I can come up with."

The Merle Vincent Hoover '41 Scholarship Fund was established in 1995, just over 25 years ago – often considered to be one generation, for historical measurement. The scholarship is endowed and will continue to support Susquehanna students in perpetuity. The University is honored to play a role in carrying on Merle's legacy.