L. E. Maxwell

L. E. Maxwell (1895-1984), a graduate of the Midland Bible Institute, a short lived school of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Kansas, was invited to come to the town of Three Hills, Alberta by J. Fergus Kirk, a Presbyterian lay preacher and farmer. Maxwell's assignment was to teach the Bible to the local young people through a structured curriculum he was to develop. On October 9, 1922 the Prairie Bible Institute was opened with eight students.

L. E. Maxwell readily became the school's dynamic principal and eventual president. Under his leadership Prairie Bible Institute grew to become Canada's premier missionary training center with international influence among evangelical Christians.

Over the course of his teaching ministry Maxwell authored several books including "Born Crucified", "Crowded to Christ" and "World Missions: Total War". Another book he had been working on, "Women In Ministry", was published after Maxwell's death by co-author and fellow Bible educator, Ruth Dearing.

After 58 years as principal, president and professor, L. E. Maxwell retired in the spring of 1980 near the age of 85. By that time his school had grown to encompass a student body of 800 full and part time students on a convert|130|acre|km2|sing=on campus.

Although diminished numerically, the Bible institute which Maxwell founded continues to the present day and is now comprised of three colleges: Prairie Bible College, Prairie School of Mission Aviation and the Prairie College of Applied Arts and Technology.