Lives of Consequence
Merle A. Gulick '30, L.H.D. '67
Philanthropist, Athlete, Leader
The career of Merle "The Hobart Hurricane" Gulick is as impressive as his performances on the field.
After graduating from Hobart, he joined the Equitable Insurance Company of the United States, where he eventually rose to the rank of vice-president for public relations and personnel. He also served as President of the National Council on Alcoholism.
In World War II, Gulick was a captain in the Coast Guard and was awarded the Legion of Merit.
Also a leader in the charitable community, Gulick chaired the HWS Board of Trustees for eleven consecutive years and served on the Board for a total of eighteen years. He was vice chairman of the Greater New York Fund; Chairman of the United Negro College Fund, the National Fund for Medical Education and the Greater New York Men's Committee; and National President of The Kappa Alpha Society.
In addition to his philanthropy and service, Gulick is perhaps best remembered for his outstanding athleticism.
Gulick won 15 letters in four sports-football, basketball, baseball, track-at high school in Maumee, Ohio. He enrolled at the University of Toledo and again lettered in four sports, before transferring to Hobart, where he became famous as the "Hobart Hurricane."
The only Hobart alumnus elected to the National College Football Hall of Fame, Gulick lettered in football in 1927, 1928 and 1929. In 1928 he scored 18 touchdowns; his longest run was 98 yards against Alfred, which still stands as a Hobart football record.
Gulick attended Maumee High School and Toledo University before transferring to HWS. As a student, he was nominated to every honor society on campus, won the Welch Cup for scholastic standing and was named a special advisor to the Colleges president. He was a member of Kappa Alpha, Public Relations Society of America, Sons of the American Revolution, the Holland Society, the Newcomen Society and the Insurance Society. He served as captain of both the football and basketball teams and was a 1928 All-American in lacrosse.
Gulick was the recipient of the Doctor of Laws honorary degree in 1967, the Hobart Alumni Association's Medal of Excellence in 1972, and is honored still through the Gulick-Vogt Memorial Athletic Fund.
In his retirement, Gulick moved to Ajijac, Mexico, where he passed away in 1976 at the age of 70.