Glenville State College has been a reoccurring subject in Bill Torlidas’ home for decades. His children grew up listening to stories about the small central West Virginia teacher’s college. Lou Torlidas remembers his father often saying Glenville State College was a place where teachers took an active role in helping students succeed. “That’s what I think a lot of colleges and universities need to get back to,” said the Duquesne University graduate. Despite the decades that passed since his 1951 GSC graduation, when Bill and his family recently visited Glenville, it was not only a

homecoming for him but also everyone.

The son of Greek immigrants who left their homeland for the promise of the American dream, Bill Torlidas was raised by hard-working parents. He witnessed their hard work make a success of a small restaurant they opened in Pittsburgh. Their business thrived becoming a well-known eatery in the area. While his mother had a gift for business, banking, and mathematics, she was deprived of a formal education when the Turks invaded Greece in the 1920s. Consequently, a formal education and earning a college degree was highly respected. The couple wanted Bill to achieve success and believed an education was the key in America. They diligently saved money so they could send their son to college.

Torlidas was quite motivated as a young man. He worked hard to succeed and mirrored his parents’ work ethic even as a young student. After graduating high school, he discovered there was a waiting list due to the large numbers of World War II veterans enrolling at the University of Pittsburgh. Waiting to enter college didn’t appeal to him, so he began talking to customers who frequented the family restaurant asking for help and advice. One patron offered to make a call to Glenville State College on his behalf. He soon learned GSC officials said for him to come on down.

There was no application mailed to him. The promise Glenville would make room for him was enough, and days later, he boarded a Greyhound bus headed south. “It was a ‘leap of faith’ because things just weren’t done that way in the city,” said Bill. He was a ‘city kid’ and had never traveled in rural areas nor was he familiar with the stark differences in the tenor of life he was about to face.

Although now 80 years old and almost six decades past his college graduation, he vividly recalls stepping off the bus near the drug store on Main Street in Glenville. He asked for directions to the campus and recalls everyone was friendly. People spoke to him smiling as he walked up Court Street.

His Louis Bennett Hall roommate was a veteran from Calhoun County, West Virginia, and they quickly became close friends. Bill was a frequent weekend guest at the family farm. He had never been to a farm or seen farm animals. He was quite surprised to discover some of his classmates ventured into the woods and hunted squirrels, but as he was determined to succeed, he made the transition and settled into his studies. Bill joined a fraternity, tried his hand at theater, and decided to get a teaching degree majoring in chemistry and physics. At the time, Dr. Byron Turner and Dr. Max Ward were among his science professors at GSC.

Despite continuing his education to first get a master’s degree and then earning a doctorate at Philadelphia’s Temple University, there is no doubt in Bill Torlidas’ mind that Glenville State College is what secured his continuing successes in life. “This was the best school I ever went to – honest,” he said. “Had it not been for Dr. Turner and others like him, I’d have never made it through college.” He recalls Dr. Turner inviting him to his home for a weekend tutoring session. “They (the teachers) all went out of their way to help me – not only me but anybody.”

Bill Torlidas and his wife Chris were educators throughout their careers. He served as a teacher, principal, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent in various Pennsylvania school districts for the initial 24 years of his long career. Then he was superintendent of two school districts for an additional 20 years. His wife, a Weirton, West Virginia native, was a teacher for many years before becoming a librarian. The couple’s son, Lou, taught for a few years after graduation, but he eventually decided to switch careers and is now self-employed managing his investments. Bill’s daughter, Jeanne, is a successful Pittsburgh attorney.

Torlidas was recently contacted by Brittany Weaver, one of GSC’s students who is part of the college’s ‘Call Upon’ team, which is seeking to reestablish contact with alumni. It’s a multi-faceted effort which includes inquiring about memories of GSC – the highlights of which are being preserved. Students are also updating alumni about new programs here such as the Hidden Promise Scholars effort started by current college President Dr. Peter B. Barr. There is also a fundraising component as GSC is seeking to raise money for a new building to house a round-the-clock medical facility, gymnasium, pool, and convocation center.

During the call, it was obvious to Weaver that Torlidas was more than slightly emotional on the other end of the line. As the alum conveyed his memories in a halting voice, he mentioned that he would love to return to the campus. The student told him that she would be glad to meet him and take him on a personal tour of the campus. Torlidas told her that night that he would donate $200, but the tugging at his heart led to much more.

A few days later, his daughter called the GSC Foundation office to inquire about setting up a scholarship in her father’s honor. She relayed that her father had had an outpouring of emotion about Glenville State College over the past few days, and that she could clearly see his heart was still in Glenville. She completed the paperwork that week that resulted in a $10,000 GSC William Torlidas Scholarship as a wonderful addition to attracting students to the campus. When returning the completed scholarship agreement, the daughter asked if they could bring the family down the following Saturday for a campus visit. The visit by Bill, accompanied by his entire family, was a tearful, heartwarming example of the love that many alumni have for their alma mater.