Manchester Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 42

MU | A r c h i v e s A giant in MU history Earl S. Garver ’33 was scholar, teacher and administrator F or years, tradition called for seniors who lived in Garver Hall all four years of college to throw a pair of well-worn shoes into the trees outside of the residence hall. It was a celebration of sorts for the residents, many of whom said there was no better place to live on campus. If longtime dean Earl S. Garver ’33 were still with us, he’d likely approve of the shoe tradition. And he just might toss up a pair of his own. Garver Hall, constructed in 1969, is named in honor of the late Earl Garver, a longtime professor and dean. His life reflected Manchester’s mission, but the more than 200 students who live in the hall probably don’t know how Garver helped shape Manchester today. Earl Garver was born on Feb. 5, 1911, in Youngstown, Ohio. Attracted to Manchester because of his Church of the Brethren roots, Garver graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1933. He returned to the Youngstown area and taught American history at Boardman (Ohio) High School, his alma mater, from 1933 to 1938. From there, he went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University in 1943, also teaching at nearby Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. When World War II called, Garver served in the Civilian Public Service from 1943 to 1946. He joined the Manchester faculty to teach economics in 1946 and became dean of the college in 1950. Garver was particularly interested in strengthening Manchester’s curriculum and supporting the development of faculty as teachers. From 1957 to 1961, a grant for $20,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. helped Garver work with faculty to strengthen learning at Manchester. In addition to creating a more encompassing curriculum, Garver served as the administrative coordinator of Brethren Colleges Abroad (now BCA Study Abroad) program, which had been initiated in 1959 when a series of visiting professors from Germany piqued students’ interest in foreign study. By 1962, the German program was established and continued to expand throughout the decade. Garver was a scholar, too. He presented at many conferences and in 1950 directed the Vienna Peace Conference which sought methods for building peace in a war-threatened world. He also co-authored two books, Puerto Rico: Unsolved Problem and An Introduction to Modern Economics, and served on the boards of many organizations. In his spare time, he enjoyed ornithology and photography. Earl Garver was serving as dean when he died in 1968. He was only 57. At his memorial service, President A. Blair Helman told mourners that Garver “was a productive scholar, an excellent teacher, and an able and dedicated administrator.” In another eulogy, a student noted Garver’s passion for Manchester’s curriculum. He “was a most avid fighter for liberal arts education at a time when everything in our society was clamoring for specialization.” Garver left behind his wife, Winifred (Winnie), and three children, David, Carolyn and Daniel. A year after his death, Manchester named its new residence hall for Earl Garver and awarded him posthumously the Outstanding Alumni Award. “He was a giant in the history of this school,” his award citation read. “In the classroom he was both extraordinarily well-informed and democratic – a master teacher. As an administrator he was quietly persistent and unendingly devoted to the college.” By Zoe Vorndran ’19 and Melinda Lantz ’81 A RCHIVES 42 |