Dr. Samuel Witchell, Glassboro Professor

He also was a frequent speaker before South Jersey civic groups on topics ranging from family development to civil rights, even as early as in the 1940s.

``We called him the silver-throated orator, and he had a terrific vocabulary,'' said Clarence Miller, Rowan College professor emeritus.

Dr. Witchell served on the Pitman Borough Council and was a past president of the Pitman Kiwanis Club.

He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman. He was a master Bible teacher for the church's adult classes, was in the forefront of issues of racial equality, and ``was an academic who could roll up his sleeves and do the work to make a difference,'' said the Rev. Bruce Gillette, the pastor at First Presbyterian.

Dr. Witchell was a 1930 graduate of Waynesburg College and received a master's degree from Columbia University in 1937.

The widower of Eleanor Craft Witchell, he is survived by his sons, James E. and George H.; three grandsons; and a great-grandson.

There will be a memorial service at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the First Presbyterian Church, Broadway and Wildwood Avenue, Pitman.

Memorial donations may be made to the First Presbyerian Church, Broadway and Wildwood Avenue, Pitman, N.J. 08071, or Rowan College, Administration and Finance, 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro, N.J. 08028.