John Mount speaks at his 1941 class reunion, 1991
A reporter once wrote that it took a World War to keep John Mount away from Ohio State. And it can honestly be said that John Mount’s stint in the U.S. Navy is the only time in his adult life that he ever left the University for a significant amount of time. Think about this: Mount’s service to the University has spanned roughly seven decades – more than a third of the University’s total history.
Mount, whose association with OSU took him from student to professor to University administrator, died Thursday. He was 95 years old.
John Mount was born on June 10, 1918 in Butler County, Ohio. He attended public schools before coming to Ohio State on scholarship in 1937 to study agriculture. While at the University, he was a member of Sphinx, Gamma Sigma Delta (National Honor Society of Agriculture), the University Livestock Judging Team, and the Townshend Agriculture Education Society. He was President of the College of Agriculture Student Council, as well as the University 4-H Club. He graduated in 1941 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He accepted a job with OSU’s Agricultural Extension Service directly after graduation, then took a leave of absence to join the U.S. Navy, where he fought in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific theaters. He returned home in 1946 to his alma mater, leaving again briefly to complete his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin in 1949.
John Mount, (top row, right), as a student with the University 4-H Club, 1940
After returning to OSU, Mount held almost every job possible within the College of Agriculture and the University administration. He served as assistant 4-H leader, professor, and assistant dean and secretary within the College of Agriculture. In 1957 he became the Administrative Assistant to the President, and the following year became Secretary of the Board of Trustees. In 1960 he was named Vice President of Educational Services.
In 1968, Mount was appointed Vice President for Student Affairs, then a new position. It was probably the greatest challenge of his career at OSU, given the turbulent times in which he served. At that time, campuses like OSU’s roiled from sometimes tense and violent demonstrations over the issues of civil rights, women’s rights and the Vietnam War. Mount served as the administration’s liaison with students demanding deep changes in University operations. Mount spent countless hours negotiating with them. During the spring of 1970, an especially contentious period, Mount spent so much time meeting with students that he was admitted to University Hospital for a short period for exhaustion.
Mount with student Tracy Barber, no date
In 1970 he became the University’s first Dean of University College and Vice President for Regional Campuses. It is from these posts that he retired from in 1983 after 42 years of service.
Even in “retirement” there was no question of his leaving Ohio State. He remained involved in 4-H activities, served as the grand marshal of the 2004 Homecoming parade, and was one of six University professors to teach the OSU History course offered annually. Most recently he held the title of faculty emeritus.
At the Summer 1993 Commencement, Mount was awarded OSU’s Distinguished Service Award, for—at that time—almost 50 years of service. In 1983, the University Board of Trustees officially named the then-University College building after him.
During his retirement, Mount continued to volunteer with Freshman Orientation, saying, “I’ve been paid for the things I really enjoy doing. I don’t mind volunteering my time.”
– Filed by C.N.
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