Fearless, he leaped o'er obstacle to goalWith confidence surveyed each untried heightIn joyous harmony with the external plan of life.Searching, he found, and seeingSharedBeauty and truth; with eager handGarnering treasure - not for selfBut for the people and posterity.Immortal youth his age entwined,With mind unclouded and with unspent will He conquered Death,Leaving behind rich heritageLinked with a legacy the future shall unfold.
- Alice Hall Walter
As spring rears its head over the campus, the Tufts community reflects anew thoughts of love, spring fever stunts, the reawakening of nature, and Hermon Carey Bumpus.
Young Hermon collected birds, snakes, and insects. At age 16, his essay on frogs was read at the graduation exercises of the Gibson School. He financed his way through college, in part, by making natural history illustrations; he was the recipient of the first Ph.D. granted by Clark on presentation of a "notable thesis on the American lobster."
Hermon was on his way to a notable career. During his life, he held such important posts as Director, American Museum of Natural History; President, American Society of Zoologists; Board of Directors, National Association of Audubon Societies; Chairman, Educational Advisory Board, National Park Service; and President of the Wilderness Society, to list some of the 87 memberships and offices he held.
As Director of the American Museum of Natural History, he initiated the whole concept of the modern museum, by emphasizing attractive public display. As a leader in the development of the modern museum, he worked with the National Park Service and created the now familiar trailside museum and originated the natural history shrine.
"Hermon Carey Bumpus as principal of this program gave time and genius for a decade, becoming the father of museums in the national parks...scores are projected..." writes Laurence Vail Coleman in The Museum in America.
He excelled in these and other fields. But have you heard of him?
He was President of Tufts College from 1915-1919. Under Bumpus in these troubled years, enrollment increased 32% after several years of decrease, income went up 42%, bringing Tufts out of debt. He broadened educational facilities; he instituted intensive courses to prepare men for war before the government requested this; he also instituted the Free Margin Group, a liberalization of entrance requirements (similar to present "academic risk" admissions.)
A unanimous resolution of the Tufts faculty upon his resignation says in part, "his leadership in this field has made the name and work of Tufts College more than ever favorably known and increased its influence." The Boston Transcript editorialized, "a man who had administered [Tufts'] affairs smoothly and efficiently, enhanced its prestige at home and abroad, and laid the firm foundation of its future greatness."
All other past Presidents of Tufts have structures named in honor of them. The names are quite familiar - Ballou, Braker, Miller, Cousens, Carmichael, etc.
Leonard Carmichael wrote, "Certainly the period of Bumpus' presidency was a fruitful and imporant one for this college..." Yet there is not so much as a room named after Hermon Carey Bumpus.
As a former Tufts president and as a leader in other fields, Bumpus deserves recognition on this campus. The Director of Physical Plant has informed us that, as yet, there is no name for the new men's dormitory. We suggest that it be named the Hermon Carey Bumpus Hall.
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When we left Tufts in June of 1966, it was still a relatively innocent time for many of us. Only in 1967 did the large anti-war protests break out. In 1968, we saw the Summer of Love.
For us, the big issues of the day seemed to relate more to co-ed visiting hours in the dorm rooms, the posture tests at Jackson, and the question of soft drink machines in women's dorms. Face it: We missed out on all the counterculture action during our years on the Hill.
However, there is one ongoing injustice at Tufts that still needs to be addressed. The issue was raised in 1965 by three intrepid members of our class, but it remains unresolved. With our 40th reunion this year, the time is ripe for us to accomplish two things at once: to right this wrong and to partake of some of the student protest days that we missed. Consider this a call to mobilization. Come prepared to take over the administration building with a sit-in.
To remind those with short memories of this injustice, we offer here the text of an editorial page plea which appeared in the pages of The Tufts Weekly on April 9, 1965.
- Bill Nowlin (A '66)
Bill Nowlin is the co-founder of Rounder Records and serves on the Board of Directors for the Passim Folk Music and Cultural Center in Cambridge. He graduated from Tufts in 1966.
