Hall of Honor
Lucius Porter was a record-setting track man who made a strong lifelong commitment to physical fitness. Throughout his college days and during his distinguished career as a missionary, educator, and author, he practiced this physical fitness philosophy and inspired others to do the same. Porter ranked among the best collegians nationally in the 220-yard low hurdles and the 120-yard high hurdles at Beloit, and later as a divinity student at Yale. His College record in the high hurdles stood for 22 years. In 1915, at age 35, he won both hurdle events and ran in the victorious relay team in the star-studded Eastern Open. He still ran competitively in China, a quarter-century later, when he challenged any 60-year-old to race with him, and was disappointed that there were no takers. A pioneer in what is popular today as jogging, Porter throughout his life continued to demonstrate his strong belief in the theory that one must never stop exercising by running at least two miles daily. As the eldest grandson of Aaron Lucius Chapin, Beloit’s first president, Lucius Chapin Porter carried on a proud heritage with style and distinction until his death in 1958.
