Eppley, Geary Frances, 1895-1978

Dean of Men and Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland College Park.

Eppley also served the University as director of student welfare, assistant professor of agronomy, and track coach.

Geary Francis Eppley was born in 1895 in Washington, DC. He was a member of the class of 1918 at the Maryland State College of Agriculture but received a B.S. in Agriculture in 1920 as a result of military service in World War I. As an undergraduate at the Maryland State College, he won letters in football and track. In 1922 Eppley became an assistant professor of agronomy. He received an M.A. in 1926 from the University of Maryland. During the 1930s, he was a track coach at the University of Maryland, and he served as athletic director between 1935 and 1947. He was chairman of the university's Athletic Council from 1937 until 1963. Eppley served as dean of men beginning in 1936 and was made dean emeritus in 1964. During his tenure as dean, Eppley served as director of student welfare from 1946 until 1958.

After service as a cavalry officer during World War I, Eppley remained in the Army Reserve and served during World War II as a colonel in the office of the Army Chief of Staff. In 1925, Eppley married Elizabeth Flenner, who died in 1976. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Frances, and a son, Geary W. Eppley. At the University of Maryland, Eppley was a member of several honorary groups including Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Pi Delta Epsilon, Phi Eta Sigma, Scabbard and Blade, and the Pershing Rifles. In addition, he was honorary president of the Prince George's County Alumni Association of the University of Maryland. In the community, Eppley served as a member of the board of the county chapter of the American Cancer Society, a director of the Prince George's County Boy's Club, master of the county grange, a member of the county Welfare Board, and budget chairman of the county Community Chest. He was a member of the Masons and the College Park Rotary Club. In addition, he was a member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew at St. Andrews Church, where he served as a vestryman. On June 10, 1978, Geary F. Eppley died of a heart condition at Leland Memorial Hospital in College Park, Maryland.