Earl Willetts, an ordained minister for 50 years, was first associated with Cedarville College through the Baptist Bible Institute of Cleveland where he was a faculty member. He accompanied the team of trustees that first visited the Cedarville campus in 1953 when the Baptists were considering acquiring the college, which was on the verge of closing after 59 years of operation. Once the acquisition was completed, Willetts was one of the original members of the new Cedarville College Board of Trustees, starting in 1953, and he served for more than 30 years. He was named an “Honorary Alumnus” of Cedarville College in 1974. In 1982 when Willetts Hall was named for him, Rev. Willetts could boast that he had had at least one child or grandchild attending the college every year since 1953, a total of 18.

Source: Barbara Loach, Cedarville University: Defining Legacies