Wilbur O. Hedrick started as a professor of Economics at Michigan State College in 1908.

Life

Born on April 3, 1868 in Elkhart, Indiana. He grew up in northern Michigan near Harbor Springs. He is the brother of Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick

Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick

Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick was an American botanistand horticulturistwho specialized in spermatophytes.His main interest was cultivated fruit trees and he published a number of volumes dealing with such fruits as cherries, grapes, plums, and peaches. Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick, A History of...

. He was married to Lucelia D. Baker. He fathered four children, Helen, Hester, Amy, and Marian.

He pioneered student co-operatives in East Lansing, and Hedrick House, named after him and opened in 1939, is the oldest student-owned co-operative in the USA.

"No living person in this community has contributed more to M.S.C. than you have in your long period of distinguished service," said John A. Hannah

John A. Hannah

John Alfred Hannah was president of Michigan State College for 28 years, making him the longest serving of MSU's presidents. He is credited with transforming the school from a little-known, regional agricultural college into a large national research institution...

 in reference to Hedrick's accomplishments over his lengthy employment of 47 years as a faculty member at M.S.C.

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

.