Raymond G. Bressler, Sr.

Early life and education Bressler was born 9 March 1887, in Halifax, Pennsylvania, to Ryan A. Bressler and Mary Ellen (Etzweiler) Bressler. At age 13, Bressler left school to work on the railroads, where he earned enough money to attend Shippensburg State Normal School, and graduate with an teacher's diploma in 1904. on 4 February 1910 in Halifax, Pennsylvania However this relatively expensive program did not last much beyond the Bressler presidency. Additionally, Bressler was responsible for development of the Narragansett Marine Laboratory in 1936 that would eventually become the nucleus for later development of URI's Graduate School of Oceanography. In most other program areas, Bressler responded by economizing where he could throughout the college and enrolling as many students as could be accommodated. Bressler felt that it would be better for young people who could not find jobs to be in college rather than be idle. Although Bressler kept costs as low as possible, summer jobs became nonexistent and the college had to raise its fees to compensate for reduced funding by the State Assembly. As a result, many students were unable to stay in school due to inadequate financial resources and enrollments fell into decline. dying in Detroit, Michigan on 8 December 1983.

Bressler's son, Raymond George Bressler, Jr. (1911-1968), was a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Connecticut, who later served as a vice chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1950, Bressler Hall, a residence hall was opened on the Rhode Island State College Campus to house students in the post-World War II building boom on campus.