John Mount, university administrator who helped establish the Mount Leadership Society in memory of his wife Ruth Weimer Mount, died Feb. 20.
We will never be able to put into words exactly what John Mount meant to the Mount Leadership Society.
The Mount Leadership Society was created in 1999 to honor Ruth Weimer Mount’s legacy at Ohio State. Ruth Mount was the assistant dean of women at OSU in 1953 and the first dean of students in 1968. She was extremely dedicated to service and leadership — traits important to the Mount Leadership Society today.
For students that never knew Ruth Mount, the connection lived on in her husband John. Everyone involved knew how much he cared about the program and its students. While having ties to many different aspects of OSU, John Mount always had a special place in his heart for the Mount Leadership Society.
His love for the program was revealed in his actions. John Mount attended many major Mount events every year, including Welcome Week activities and the year-end Celebration Ceremony. He took Mounties out for lunch during Mount’s Leadership Month in October, and sent a gift basket to students on the Washington, D.C., trip over spring break.
John Mount meant the world to students as well. Anytime he was at an event, you would see students lining up just to speak with him for a minute and take a picture.
The loss of John Mount, who died at the age of 95 Thursday, came during one of Mount’s most important yearly events, Legacy Week.
Legacy Week is a time for first-year students to embody the traits of leadership and service Ruth Mount cherished by creating service events of their own.
This year, Mount students will be carrying on another legacy, that of John Mount.
John Mount, us Mounties will never forget you and we will remember you. You will live on forever in our hearts.
