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Author Description Dr. Walter Scott Athearn (1872-1934). A master teacher and a pioneer of religious education, Athearn's chief contributions to religious education were his emphasis upon educational standards and measurements, his pioneering in community schools of leadership education, and his influence in making religious educational leadership a profession (Gresham, 1958, p. 3. Dr. W. C. Bower's comment in a personal letter). He was the first to suggest the term "Church School" be applied to the educational function of the church. He also proposed a dual system of religious education paralleling that of public education from the elementary grades to the university. While he was in Drake University, he offered the first course in religious education which was granted credit for the A. B. degree. In the thirteen years that he served at Boston University, W. S. Athearn fully demonstrated (1) that religion is a major academic discipline worthy of credit towards social science degrees, and (2) that religious education is a vocation so essential to perpetuity of both state and church as to be worthy of adequate recognition in graduate and professional training schools (Gresham, 1958, p. 24. Quotation is from a letter to Dr. Karl Stolz).<br /><br />Walter Scott Athearn was featured on p. 64 of the 1926 Hawkeye yearbook as part of a section devoted to notable alumni. His photo is from the same issue of Hawkeye that was provided by David McCartney from University Archives, Dept. of Special Collections, University of Iowa Libraries.

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