President of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College (SFASTC) from 1942 to 1958, Paul Lewis Boynton made vital contributions to the institution’s future. Born in Belton (Bell Co.), Boynton attended Sam Houston State Teachers College. He then served as principal of Lufkin High School and taught in Wichita Falls before attending George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned MA and PhD degrees in Psychology.

Boynton was chairman of Peabody College’s department of Psychology when he was named the second president of STASTC (now Stephen F. Austin State University). As male students withdrew to fight in World War II, Boynton worked to keep the college from closing by convincing the federal government to open a Women’s Army Corps School here in 1943. In letter campaigns, he kept in contact with students wherever they served. When war made some federal operations in the area obsolete, Boynton secured buildings and farm property, leading to the opening of a department of forestry here in 1945. Enrollment at SFASTC increased dramatically in the 1950s. Boynton first met this demand by securing temporary buildings. His master plan focused on upgrading the school’s faculty, implementing a strong system of student guidance and providing permanent educational structures.

In 1958, while at work, boynton suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards in Memorial Hospital. Today, Paul Boynton is remembered for his ingenuity in keeping sfastc open during World War II and creating a foundation for the institution’s move to university status and success as one of Texas’ foremost centers for higher education.