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The Southern Accent Update of the Week, page 2 DEEP Leadership Summit brings
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Pressing Issue page, 2 Former NFL player arrested for murder February 18, 2026
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Benjamin R. Wygal, July 16, 1937 — February 8, 2026. (Photo sourced from his obituary).
In Remembrance of Ben Wygal: Guide, Counselor and Advocate Hayden Kobza Editor-in-Chief Nyah Jackson Reporter Benjamin R. Wygal, a beloved and long-time community member, passed away at age 88 on Feb. 8, after serving as assistant to the president of Southern Adventist University for 23 years. According to Ken Shaw, current Southern president, Wygal passed from a brain bleed while surrounded by his family. “Ben will be remembered for his gentle spirit, kind heart, engaging personality and deep love for Southern,” Shaw stated in an email to Southern University employees last week. “His presence and influence will be greatly missed. I invite you to keep his wife of 69 years, Reika, and their family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.” Early Life and Career Wygal was born on July 16, 1937, in Childress, a rural town in north-central
Texas, during the end of the Dust Bowl. He began his educational journey in a one-room schoolhouse, with a single teacher for multiple grades. According to Academic Administration at Southern, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Speech/English from the Texas Tech University in 1958. Wygal then obtained his Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Public Address from the University of Texas at Austin in 1964 and earned a PhD in Education Administration from the same university in 1966. Following his education, in 1969, Wygal became the vice president for planning and development at the Florida Junior College, now called the Florida State College of Jacksonville (FSCJ) and the after the departure of J.W. Wilson became the president in 1970, according to the FSCJ website. “At the July board meeting I was named president on a regular basis,” Wygal said in a 1989 interview with lay Robert Gentry a former professor at FSCJ. “I've always not used the word permanent president, because nothing's ever permanent these jobs.”
Later in his career, Wygal served as the president of Union Adventist University during the 1985-1986 academic year, according to Adventist Archives. He also served as president of Life Care Centers of America and later as vice president of Health and Wellness at Adventist HealthCare in Maryland. Tenure at Southern Wygal’s favorite role came later in life, according to his obituary. For 23 years, he served as assistant to the president at Southern Adventist University, where he promoted the university throughout the greater Chattanooga community. He worked with presidents Gordon Bietz, David Smith and Ken Shaw before retiring in 2025. He also shared his time and wisdom as a member of Southern’s Board of Trustees from the 1970s to the 1990s. Bietz said Wygal was originally hired to work in Advancement, but it became apparent that he would do well as associate to the president. See Wygal on page 3
Ben Wygal and his wife, Reika Wygal. (Photo sourced from SAU Alumni Instagram).
“He was probably the most gregarious, outgoing, friendly man I’ve ever known." - Gordon Bietz