BRYANT DRAKE PROFESSORSHIP

Reverend Bryant Drake

The Bryant and Alberta Drake Guest Professorship
at Kobe College

History
Rev. Bryant Drake (1895-1979) joined the Kobe College Corporation Board of Directors in 1948, served as President from 1954-70, and continued as an active Board member until his death. He was deeply involved in higher education as a one-time college president and as an administrator with the United Church of Christ. In 1961, he was awarded the Fourth Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese Government for his services on behalf of education in Japan. In 1982, the KCC Board of Directors voted to establish an endowed chair at Kobe College in his honor, the Bryant Drake Guest Professorship. Following the death of Dr. Drake's widow, Alberta, the Drake family requested that the professorship be renamed the Bryant and Alberta Drake Guest Professorship.

Honoring the Life of Drake Professor Dr. Robert Mason

On November 15, 2017,KCC-JEE lost one of its long time board members, Rob Mason, after a brief illness. Rob joined KCC-JEE in the fall of 2005 and over the years served as chair of the Drake Professorship and as co-president with Dave Therkelsen in 2012.Rob was an important presence on the KCC-JEE board for his belief in international educational exchange, his deep commitment to student learning, and for his genial, kind spirited leadership on the Board. He was also a friend whom we will miss. The Rob Mason Memorial Fund has been established to support the programs that were closest to his heart.