The early participation of social work for Chester Wood can be represented by the following activities and clubs he participated, or established. He was an active advocator for social contribution and religious service as a Baptist while studying at Colby College.
Foundation of Mystics:
Junior Class Contribution:
Chester F. Wood was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, and he was a lineal descendant of William Brewster, elder of the Plymouth Colony of Pilgrim. He graduated from the high school in Woburn, and was enrolled in Colby College in 1911.
Wood’s family, in fact, has a long lasting relationship with the college in Maine. Wood’s father, Charles Freeman Wood, graduated from Colby College in 1855 as well. After his graduation, in 1864, he was assigned to be the chaplain of the state alms-house, and devoted his career to education and religious related service.
Following his father’s path, Chester Wood also participated in religious programs and practices actively while studying at Colby. For student welfare service, he became the founder of “The Mystics” at Colby in 1912 as a sophomore. The organization itself has been perfected and hoped to be one factor in Colby life that may work for the benefits and welfare of the student body in general and Sophomores in particular. He eventually became a Junior class officer by election after chapel, and this result presented his leadership and contribution to the student society. All these devotions at Colby shaped Chester Wood to become a profound pioneer in leading the missionary work in China.