His grandfather, William Grose, was a licensed exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and an earnest, forceful speaker.
He was encouraged to obtain a license to preach, but he preferred to remain an exhorter and a local worker in the church.
[1] They had five children: Wilbur Dickerson, Mary Frances, Helen, William and Virginia.
Grose served as a pastor of the Cherry Valley Church, Leicester, Massachusetts from 1896 to 1897.
During a period of growth at the university, his term as president brought stability and financial strength.