Bio – Coston, Herbert R


Born: 1925 (St. Petersburg, FL)

Died: 2022-10-18 (Buckhannon, WV)


Education:

  • B.A. University of Florida
  • B.D. Garrett Theological Seminary
  • M.A. Northwestern University
  • Ph.D. Northwestern University

Taught:

  • Professor of Social Sciences 1962-1978
  • Professor of History, 1978-1992
  • Professor of History, Emeritus 1992-2022

Notes:

Married to Phyllis Kohl Coston (WVWC 1953, faculty 1963-2018, and Founder and Director of the WVWC Learning Center.

Served as the Director of the interdepartmental International Studies Major beginning in the 1972-73 academic year, and was the faculty advisor to International Studies majors.  In 2021, Dr. Coston wrote this history of the work of the International Studies Committee, which laid the groundwork for the major.

Although he officially retired in 1992, Herb (and Phyllis) continued to teach part-time for many years. Generally, they would teach a first year seminar class together in the fall and then spend winters in Florida.

(1972) Dr. Herbert Coston will direct a Tour of Far East Nations in an 8 week course in conjunction with the Regional Council for International Education. This is a consortium of 31 colleges and universities in WV, PA, and OH. The course will run from July 1 to August 25. [Pharos 1971-12-14, p.3

(1977) Dr. Herbert Coston is presently a visiting scholar at the University of Florida in Gainsville. This summer he will travel to Liberia and Nigeria to gather data on mining in those regions. He is also strengthening his teaching in courses dealing with Modern East Asia, the People’s Republic of China and some aspects of modernization in China and Japan. This work is being made possible by a grant from the Advanced Institutional Development Program (AIDP). [Pharos, 1977-05-04, p.5]

(2017) In August 2017, two benches and two cherry trees were dedicated to Herb and Phyllis Coston. The location, just outside of Haymond Hall, is lovingly referred to as Coston Plaza.

See other information about Dr. Herb Coston on the Faculty Adventures Beyond the Classroom Document.

Obituary 


Sources: Catalogs, Murmurmontis