Love and loyalty for Whittier College prompted this Poet to become a Philadelphian
Christopher "Chris" T. Cross '62 was inspired to attend Whittier College because of the quality of the faculty and the academic programs. Along the way, he made lifelong friendships, majored in political science, was editor of the Quaker Campus, and became a member of the William Penn Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, and ODK. His love and loyalty for the College that developed as a result of his experiences prompted him to become one of the very first Philadelphian Society members when it was established in 1985.
"Dr. Ben Burnett, Dr. John Schutz and Dr. Richard Harvey made a substantial impact on me at Whittier," he said. After graduation, Chris worked for the College for three years and in 1969 was off to Washington D.C. where he spent four decades working in the education policy arena. He played a significant role in the development and passage of the Pell Grant program which was part of the legislation that also included Title IX. Both of these landmark actions celebrated their 50th anniversary in June of 2022.
Chris shares, "Fifty years later, the Education Amendments law stands as a landmark in national policy and as perhaps the single most important federal higher education law. Almost $30 billion in grants now supports college students in the places they and their families choose due to the passage of that law. Whittier College itself has been a major beneficiary as it continues to assist hundreds of first-generation students, among others, to achieve their dreams with the support of Pell grants. My political science education at Whittier was wonderful preparation for the career that followed my graduation."
Throughout his career, Chris has written extensively on education and other public policy areas and has been published in numerous professional journals and newspapers. He has also written two books, "Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age" and "Political Education: Setting the Course for State and Federal Education Policy," and has done extensive volunteer work with the National Academies of Science, having chaired several studies and edited several volumes based on his work.
Today, Chris proudly sits on the Whittier College Board of Trustees where he contributes his considerable knowledge and leadership skills to important issues in education, strategic planning, policy analysis, and development. He has also taken an active role in planning and celebrating reunion milestones with fellow classmates since they graduated in 1962. The class, which gets together most years and returns to campus for major reunion years, uses their time together to reinforce their common bond, renew their friendships, and appreciate life's different but parallel journeys.
In addition to his loyal generosity each year, his early decision to include Whittier College as a beneficiary in his trust was intended to show his gratitude to his alma mater, which Chris says has so wonderfully enriched his life through lifelong friendships and memories, and for preparing him for his professional career after College. He says, "It was an easy decision. I hope to provide future generations of Poets with the same life-changing experiences and opportunities that I was fortunate enough to receive all those years ago."
