Parley Rex Syndergaard was born in Mount Pleasant, Utah on March 3, 1918. He attended Westminster College (B.A.), Washington University (1941, M.A.), Brigham Young University, and St. Louis University (Ph.D.). Syndergaard served in the European theatre with the Field Artillery of the United States Army from 1943-1945. In 1946 he joined the history department at Murray State College, later being appointed Dean of Men. Syndergaard left Murray State in 1954. After working as an editor of the Daily Breeze-Courier, a daily newspaper in Taylorville, Illinois, he joined the History department at Eastern Illinois State College (later Eastern Illinois University) in 1956. Dr. Syndergaard taught at that school for twenty-four years, until shortly before his death from cancer on December 6, 1980. He was the first to serve as head of EIU's History Department, from its organization in 1961 until September, 1970. He specialized in European history and made several trips to Europe and conducted student tours. The Dr. P. Rex Syndergaard Scholarship was established by his wife and four daughters.