R. William Cheney portrait

This is a portrait of Robert William Cheney.R. William Cheney (August 17, 1909 – June 5, 1965), dean of students and professor of guidance at Springfield College. Inspired by his father, a professor of sociology at Springfield College, Cheney attended SC and graduated with his BS in 1933. After graduation, he worked first as a boys’ secretary and then as a general secretary at a YMCA in Bridgeport Connecticut. In 1943, he graduated with his MA from Yale Divinity School in New York. While working toward his masters, he also served as executive secretary of the Intercollegiate Branch at a New York YMCA. From 1943 to 1946, Cheney served with the U.S. Navy. In 1946, he came back to Springfield College as dean of freshmen. Six years later, he was promoted to dean of students. In 1963, Cheney took a two-year leave of absence to work at a Cornell University project in West Africa. In this position, he helped the redevelopment of the university, which included such projects as initiating a freshman orientation program, developing a student handbook, and initiating an emergency student loan fund. He suffered a fatal heart attack in Monrovia, Liberia. The class of 1966 dedicated their yearbook to him