From noteworthy career to remaining a driving force for ESU students
Judith A. '76 M'86 and Dr. James Leiding give back through scholarship that mirrors their educational paths

By Sara Karnish

When you spend 32 years at a university inspiring students, shaping curriculum, and serving as a voice for faculty, it's hard to leave it all behind at retirement. Dr. James (Jim) H. Leiding, professor emeritus of sociology, understands this all too well. Years after formally retiring from East Stroudsburg University in 2002, he remains active among students and with colleagues he's kept in touch with over the years. He's also a member of the ESU Foundation's 1893 Society through the scholarship he established with his wife, ESU alumna Judith A. Leiding '76 M '86.

The Leidings give back because Jim remembers what it was like to work his way through college with little to no financial support from family. His own parents had limited education, but they instilled a love of learning within their five children. All five went on to successful professional careers, likely thanks to the early support they received at home.

Jim was sent to live with a distant cousin and worked on the family's farm and was then sent to Concordia High School, a private boys' school in Minneapolis. After enduring a rigorous class schedule that included Latin as well as several hard sciences, he jokes that his college courses were almost easy. He went on to earn his B.S. from Concordia Teachers College, his M.A. from Western Reserve, and Ph.D. from Ball State University.

He was teaching at Morningside College in Iowa, newly graduated from the doctorate program at Ball State, when he heard colleges in Pennsylvania were looking for new graduates.

"I was hired to start the sociology program [at ESU]," he recalls. Besides accepting the responsibility of launching a brand-new college major, Jim loved travel and moving to a different part of the country appealed to him.

Under Jim's leadership, the sociology program grew from its first class of roughly 15 students to over 200 majors by the time he retired. He assumed the role of department chair, a position he held until retiring. Jim took on additional leadership roles throughout his career. His role in ESU's Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) is unequalled, having served on the local Executive Council, Meet and Discuss team, and various boards and committees. He taught many worldwide study courses, took students to six different continents, and served as the coordinator of the International Evening program.

Judy initially attended Valparaiso University in Indiana but left school to be with her mother after her father's death. She met Jim and his dedication to education inspired her to earn her degree. She followed in the footsteps of her mother, Edna Bonser, and enrolled at ESU, first auditing a few classes, then returning full-time and graduating in 1976. She earned her Master's degree at ESU in 1986. She spent 28 years as an educator in New Jersey and Pennsylvania-26 as a fourth, fifth and sixth grade teacher, and two as a remedial and developmental reading teacher.

Beyond Jim's contributions to the operational side of ESU, the Leidings chose to give back to students in a more direct way. In 2020, they established the Dr. James and Mrs. Judith Leiding '76 Endowed Scholarship, which supports members of the ESU football team majoring in a field leading to a career in secondary education. The scholarship criteria reflect the Leidings' own educational and professional paths.

"We decided to start the scholarship to give to the students who need help," Judy says. "We knew many of the students at ESU needed help because their parents were not able to give them the help they needed. Many of these students have to work their way through school, and Jim knows what it's like to have to work your way through college." She adds, "We give back because we're able to do it. We enjoy it. And it's the Christian thing to do-we feel it's necessary."

As proud as the Leidings are of the ESU students they've helped, they're even prouder of their own family. Daughter Julie is a graduate of Creighton University and lives in California with her three children; son Keith, an ESU alumnus, lives in Colorado with his wife and three children, where he is a search and rescue director for the state of Colorado. Five generations of Leidings attended ESU, Jim points out (Judy and her mother, along with son Keith are alumni, granddaughter Kylie currently attends; Jim himself took a few accounting courses during his tenure).

A former athlete who wrestled, played football and basketball, Jim is a familiar sight at every ESU football game and the Leidings try to attend as many annual Scholarship Dinners hosted by the Foundation as they can. Their commitment to ESU and its students is a big part of the Leidings' legacy.

"Having spent most of my professional life there and seeing the devotion [the staff] has to see these young people educated, we're doing something beneficial," Jim says. "I've taught a lot of students who then became lifelong friends, and a number of those students did some outstanding things. We've been fortunate and blessed in our lives."