Frank Palmer Speare | |
|---|---|
) Speare pictured in The Cauldron 1921, Northeastern yearbook | |
| 1st President of Northeastern University | |
| In office 1898–1940 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Carl Stephens Ell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 31, 1869 Dorchester, Massachusetts[1] |
| Died | May 28, 1954 (aged 84–85)[1] |
| Spouse(s) | May Cushing Whiting,[1] Katherine Vinton |
| Children | Marjory Vinton Speare |
| Parents | Charles Speare, Jeanette Palmer |
| Alma mater | Bridgewater State Teachers College, 1889[1] |
Frank Palmer Speare (1869 – May 28, 1954) was the first president of Northeastern University, serving from 1898 to 1940. He began the evening program at the Boston YMCA that later became Northeastern. As founding president, he oversaw the launching of the university's evening law school, the now-defunct automobile school, the evening polytechnic schools, the school of commerce and finance, and the co-operative engineering school.
In addition to being an educator, he was also a sailor, farmer, and music enthusiast. He composed songs ("Silver Bay, a Song of Vacation Days") and other music (the "Northeastern March"), plays (Mystic Waters, or The Spirit of Winnipesaukee), and musicals.
Notes
- ^ a b c d Ohles, Frederik (1997), Biographical Dictionary of Modern American Educators, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, p. 300
External links
- Frank Palmer Speare: Educational Visionary. Parr, Jessica. the online edition of a Northeastern University Libraries exhibition. Boston: Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, 2004. Contains numerous photographs plus biographical information.
- The Frank Palmer Speare papers, 1896-1951 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None | President of Northeastern University 1898– 1940 | Succeeded by Carl Stephens Ell |