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
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