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Henry A. Buchtel

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Chancellor Henry A. Buchtel

Introduction
Henry A. Buchtel (1847-1924) was the University of Denver’s third chancellor, serving for 21 years from 1899-1920. He followed the chancellorship of William McDowell and preceded Chancellor Heber Reece Harper.

Background
Henry Augustus Buchtel was born on November 30, 1847 in the small town of East Liberty near Akron, Ohio. Following his graduation from Asbury University (now DePauw) Buchtel was trained as a minister. After presiding over congregations as a pastor in Indiana, Denver, and New York state,  he was recruited back to Denver to take on the chancellorship of the University of Denver.

Career
Chancellor Buchtel entered DU during a time of serious financial problems, with the future of the university in question. As the university’s new chancellor he was tasked with the enormous responsibility of turning around the school’s finances. During his 21 year chancellorship at DU Buchtel pursued his vision of creating a “Harvard of the West” by not only keeping the school afloat but expanding the campus and the university’s academic programs.

Chancellor Buchtel devoted much of his time to his successful fundraising efforts, traveling around Colorado and beyond engaging donors. Thanks to his tireless fundraising the University grew in both student enrollment and physical structures. Under Buchtel’s leadership the university built two Carnegie-funded buildings including a new library and a new science building. Student enrollment increased from 640 upon his arrival in 1900 to 2,780 prior to his departure in 1920.

Henry Buchtel was also the University of Denver’s only chancellor to make the journey from University Park to the governor’s office in the state Capitol building. Governor Buchtel held this office for one two-year term, from 1907-1909, during which he governed both the state of Colorado and the University of Denver.

Henry Buchtel resigned the chancellorship in 1920 and died four years later on October 22, 1924.

References
Breck, Allen. From the Rockies to the World: The History of the University of Denver, 2nd ed. (Ann Arbor: Edwards Brothers, 1997.)

Biographical Files: Henry A. Buchtel, Special Collections (Denver: University of Denver University Libraries).

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Robert Coombe

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

Chancellor Robert Coombe

Introduction
Chancellor Robert Coombe (1948-) has been at the University of Denver since 1981, becoming  DU’s 17th chancellorship in July of 2005. He previously served DU as a chemistry professor.

Background
Robert Coombe was born in 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Denver. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College in Williamstown, MA and then receive his doctorate in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. After completing his studies he was employed as a researcher at the University of Toronto and then at Rockwell International’s corporate laboratory in Thousand Oaks, California. He arrived at the University of Denver as a chemistry professor in 1981.

University of Denver Career
When Dr. Coombe first returned to Denver to teach at DU, he taught a variety of science courses including graduate and undergraduate courses in physical chemistry, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and advanced kinetics and molecular dynamics. While a faculty member he took on a number of leadership roles including chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, dean of the Division of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, and provost of the University. He began his appointment as 17th chancellor of the University of Denver on July 1, 2005.

Chancellor Coombe has managed a number of important developments at DU. Under his chancellorship in 2010 the university became one of a select few to ban smoking on campus. Impressive new buildings have been constructed during his tenure at DU including Nagel Hall (2008) and the new Anderson Academic Commons (2013), which houses the university’s library and other academic services.


Chancellor Coombe speaks at the opening of Nagel Hall in 2008

Personal Life
Apart from his work at the University, Dr. Coombe serves as a member of the Higher Education Working Group of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also serves on the boards of Colorado Forum, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the University of Denver-based Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.

The father of two children and grandfather of six, Dr. Coombe’s principal avocations are associated with the arts and the outdoors. He is a devoted amateur musician who plays the cello as well as a number of brass instruments. He and his wife Dr. Julanna Gilbert, who is a chemistry professor at the University as well as a talented violinist, enjoy playing in informal chamber ensembles.

Sources:
Chancellor’s Biography, University of Denver Office of the Chancellor. http://www.du.edu/chancellor/chancellorbio/

Robert Coombe. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Coombe

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David Hastings Moore

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

DU's first faculty members. from left to right: Sidney H. Short, Herbert A. Howe, chancellor David Hastings Moore, O.B. Super, and Frances Fish

In discussions about the most significant chancellors in the University’s history, David Hastings Moore rarely comes up. Today Moore is largely forgotten, though he was DU’s first chancellor and an essential figure in the growth and development of Colorado Seminary and the early University of Denver.
Moore, the son of Congressman Eliakin Moore, was born in Athens, Ohio, on Sept. 4, 1838. He graduated from Ohio University in 1860 and became an ordained Methodist minister. In 1861, he married Julia Carpenter, with whom he had nine children.

Following the outbreak of the Civil War, a 24-year-old Moore joined the Union’s 87th Ohio Infantry as a private. He rose through the ranks to lieutenant colonel and took part in General Sherman’s famous march to the sea.

After the war, he served as a minister in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. In 1875, he became president of Wesleyan Female College in Cincinnati, a post he held until 1879, when close friend and Colorado Seminary Trustee Earl Cranston urged him to come to Colorado to become the seminary’s first chancellor. Moore agreed to make the move, later joking that “my wife had a yearning for California, and Colorado was half way.”

At the time, Colorado Seminary had been closed for 15 years but had kept its original charter. The seminary, newly renamed the University of Denver, reopened in 1880 under Moore’s direction. When Moore took the helm, the school had just 30 students and six faculty members.

By the end of his nine-year term, the student body had grown to more than 600, and the University had nine core professors and many more part-time instructors. The curriculum also grew tremendously in the 1880s. Starting with not much more than a basic arts and science curriculum, Moore added the schools of law, business, oratory, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and music.

After playing a major role in plans to relocate the campus from downtown Denver to University Park, Moore left DU in 1889 to become editor of the Western Christian Advocate in Cincinnati. In 1900, he became a bishop of the Methodist Church and traveled to Asia to oversee missionary work in China, Korea and Japan. In 1904, Moore was transferred to Portland, Ore., where he served as a bishop until 1908, when he moved back to Cincinnati. Upon his retirement in 1912, Moore settled in Indianapolis.

In 1914, at the age of 76, Moore returned to campus to speak at the 50th anniversary of the University’s founding. He summarized his achievements at DU: three “excellent” buildings at 14th and Arapahoe; the future site of the University Park campus; a pledge to build the observatory; the “beginning of the first of the great halls which now dignify the campus;” a “well-appointed faculty” of the College of Liberal Arts; colleges of music, fine arts, medicine, pharmacy and dental surgery as well as schools of manual training, business and oratory; and a total enrollment of 665 students.

Sources

Breck, Allen.From the Rockies to the World: The History of the University of Denver, 2nd ed. (Ann Arbor: Edwards Brothers, 1997).

Fisher, Steve. The Moore Legacy. University of Denver Magazine. Fall 2005.  Vol. 6 no. 1. p. 5

 

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Herbert Alonzo Howe

Friday, June 1st, 2012

Herbert Alonzo Howe

Introduction

Herbert A. Howe (1858–1926) was professor of astronomy at the University of Denver (DU) from 1880-1925. In 1892 Howe was named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the Director of the Chamberlin Observatory (built in 1894) at DU.  He wrote books and articles that appeared in international astronomical and mathematical journals.

Background

Herbert Alonzo Howe was born in Brockport, New York on November 22, 1858. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1875 and his master’s from the University of Cincinnati in 1877. Howe was a student and assistant of the Cincinnati Observatory from 1875-1880. He joined DU’s faculty in 1880 through an invitation from the trustees of the University. In 1884 Howe earned his doctorate of science degree from University of Boston and in 1910 and 1913, he received his LL.D. degrees from both the University of Denver and Colorado College respectively.

Career

Herbert A. Howe was appointed as the first professor of astronomy at the University of Denver in 1880. He taught astronomy, advanced courses in mathematics, and mathematical physics. In 1892 Howe was named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and later Dean of the Graduate School. He was also appointed as the Director of the Chamberlin Observatory at DU in 1892.  Howe planned the building of the Chamberlin Observatory. He also designed an impersonal micrometer for equatorial telescopes.

Howe was a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, a member of Astronomische Gellesschaft, the American Astronomical Society and the American Mathematical Society. Some of Howe’s works include: A Study of the Sky, 1896; Elements of Descriptive Astronomy, revised, 1909 and papers on several new methods for solving Kepler’s Problem. Howe died on November 2, 1926.

References:

Dinsmore Alter, “Herbert Alonzo Howe,” Reprinted from Popular Astronomy, (April 1927).Vol. XXXV, No. 4.

“A Comrade of the Stars,”  The Central Christian Advocate, 1109-1110.

John C. Ensslin, “Notes on the Observatory,” The Rocky Mountain News (October 4, 1998) 44A-46A.

Dorothy Haines, “Herbert Alonzo Howe,” March 27, 1980.

“Howe Sacrificed Life to Science, Says Chancellor,” (November 3, 1926) 16.

“Spectacular Leonid Shower Due Tonight,” (November 16, 1966).

Bernard Spilka, The Heart of the University of Denver: a Human Approach to the Arts, Humanities, and Sciences: an Appreciation of Faculty. ed. Steven Fisher, (Denver: The University of Denver, 2007).

Frances Wayne, “Dean Howe, Denver University, Dies After Apoplectic Attack,” The Denver Post November 3, 1926.

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Raymond Paul Tripp, Jr.

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

Introduction

Raymond P. Tripp, Jr. (1932-2005) was an English professor at the University of Denver (DU). He was a linguist and word consultant, fluent in French, German, and Japanese. Tripp was also skilled in Anglo-Saxon, German, Icelandic, Greek, and Latin.

Background

Raymond Paul Tripp, Jr

Raymond Paul Tripp, Jr. was born in Acushnet, Massachusetts on December 15, 1932. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees were both in English literature from the University of Massachusetts in 1960 and University of Toronto in 1963 respectively. He came to DU in 1968 and in 1971 received his doctorate from Union Graduate School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was in the U.S. Army from 1954-1957. Prior to his appointment at DU Tripp was an instructor at The American School in Japan (1960), assistant instructor, University of Toronto (1962-1964), instructor, Champlain College (1964-1965), assistant professor, Clarion State College (1965-1968) and dean of studies, Mark Hopkins College (1967-1968).

Career

In 1968, the University of Denver appointed Raymond P. Tripp to the College of Arts and Sciences as a professor of English. Tripp taught courses such as bibliography, American transcendentalism, creative writing, Chaucer, and English grammar. He also directed master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. As a linguist and word consultant, Tripp produced a number of  books and reviews. Some of his works include: The Ladder of Language: An Introductory Structural Grammar (1975); Beyond Canterbury: Chaucer, Humanism and Literature (1977); More About the Fight with the Dragon: Beowulf, 2208b-3182: commentary, edition and translation (1983); The Mysterious Kingdom of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry (1988); Two Fish on one Hook: A Transformative Reading of Thoreau’s Walden (1998) and Duty, Body and World in the Works of Emily Dickinson: Reorganizing the Estimate (2000).

Tripp was also a member of the Rocky Mountain Council for British Studies, the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association, the American Society for Aesthetics,  the American Medieval Academy and the Society for New Language Study. Raymond Paul Tripp died in 2005.

References

Biographical Files: Raymond P. Tripp, Special Collections (Denver: University of Denver Penrose Library).

Raymond P. Tripp, Jr., WorldCat, http://www.worldcat.org (accessed July 20, 2010).

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Daniel L. Ritchie

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Chancellor Dan Ritchie (right), Joy Burns (center), and another individual pose at the groundbreaking of the Ritchie Center on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Colorado.

Introduction

Daniel L. Ritchie (1932-    ) served as the sixteenth chancellor of the University of Denver from 1989 to 2005. As Chancellor he managed the transformation from an institution dealing with serious financial issues to one with an attractive campus, growing student population, and a multitude of benefactors. During his tenure as Chancellor Ritchie personally donated over $50 million of his own funds to the University. He strove to improve the academic standards and opportunities offered to DU students. Both test scores and GPA for incoming students increased during his tenure while class sizes at the University were reduced.

Background

Daniel L. Ritchie was born in 1932 in China Grove, North Carolina. His father sold farm and construction equipment and Ritchie grew up learning how to farm. He attended private schools in Virginia and later graduated from Harvard University in 1956 with both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA. He then served in the U.S. Army and afterward started his own organic-food corporation. He made his fortune as a stock-market securities analyst and a cable-industry chief executive.  Ritchie also owned one of California’s largest avocado operations. He then served as CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting for eight years before “retiring” to his Colorado ranch in 1987.

University of Denver Career


Chancellor Dan Ritchie (center), poses with Greg Dewey (Chair, Chemistry) and Bob Dores (Chair, Biological Sciences) during the Olin Hall groundbreaking ceremony on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Colorado.

Ritchie served as vice-chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver and also chaired the Development Committee before he was approached by fellow Trustee Bill Coors in 1989 and offered the position of Chancellor, which he accepted. He became the only chief officer of a United States college or university who served without a salary. He was paid an honorary $1 per year. [1] Ritchie served as Chancellor for 16 years and  guided the University out of debt. He led a $400 million fund raising campaign that resulted in the construction of the athletic and events center that bears his name. Ritchie also initiated the remodeling of the Business Administration Building and the General Classroom Building into Sturm Hall and the construction of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

In June 1994, Ritchie sold his ranch near Kremmling, Colorado, and donated the $15 million in profits he made from the sale to the University. With this donation he set a philanthropy record not only in Colorado but for the entire Rocky Mountain Region. He was of the opinion that “one shouldn’t wait till you die to do something. Everybody else then will have the enjoyment of it.”[2] In 1998, Ritchie was honored with a Citizen of the West award by the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.

During his chancellorship Ritchie initiated the process of conducting personal interviews with all undergraduate applicants, making the University of Denver the first university in the country to do so. [3] He also helped develop a program allowing DU students to study abroad for one quarter at no additional cost. Ritchie was also responsible for inspiring the University’s move to Division I athletics, stating that “athletics is an important part of learning, discipline, teamwork, learning to be good. That’s part of what’s involved here and why it’s important.”[4]

In 2005, Ritchie resigned from the Chancellor position to become Chair of the Board of Trustees, a position he held for one term. In addition to leading DU as Chancellor, Ritchie also served as President of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation in Denver, Chairman of the Central City Opera, and President of the Independent Higher Education of Colorado.

[1] Olinger, David.  “Still in the Saddle.”  The Denver Post, January 11, 1998, Empire section.

[2] “DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie.”  The Denver Post, October 16, 2006.

[3] Curtin, Dave.  “Career Detour DU’s Salvation.” The Denver Post,  June 27, 2005, section A.

[4] “DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie.”  The Denver Post, October 16, 2006.

Sources

“Citizen of the West is University of Denver Chancellor,” Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 1998.

Dave Curtin, “Career Detour DU’s Salvation,”  The Denver Post.  June 27, 2005, Sec. A.

“Daniel L. Ritchie: Biography,” University of Denver Office of Communications, 1997.

“Daniel L. Ritchie: Chancellor University of Denver”, Denver Business Journal, August  11, 2000.

“DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie,” The Denver Post, April 18, 1998.

John Ingold, “Ritchie Will Depart DU Board,” The Denver Post,  October 16, 2006. Sec. B.

David Olinger, “Still in the Saddle,” The Denver Post, January 11, 1998. Empire section.

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Kate Peck Kent

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Introduction

Assistant Professor Kate Peck Kent

Kate P. Kent (1914-1987) earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver (DU) in Denver Colorado and later served as Assistant Professor at the University. She published several papers on West African cloth as well as Navajo and Pueblo weaving.  A monograph, The Cultivation and Weaving of Cotton in the Prehistoric Southwestern United States, is considered a significant contribution to the literature.[1] Her books on Navajo weaving are also considered landmark works in the field.[2]

Background

Kate Peck Kent was born in Washington, D.C. on May 10, 1914.  Her family moved to Colorado where Kent earned her B.A. at the University of Denver in 1935. While an undergraduate she worked at the Denver Art Museum learning about Native American art and textiles. Following her graduation from DU she undertook graduate work in anthropology at Columbia University where she studied American museums in 1936.  The next year she investigated European museums in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Paris, and London.  In 1938 she returned to Denver as an Assistant Curator of Indian Art at the Denver Art Museum.  She served as Curator from 1942 to 1944 before deciding to continue her graduate studies at the University of Arizona.  She received her master’s degree in 1950 from the University of Arizona.

Career

From 1950 to 1966 Kent was a part-time adjunct Instructor in Anthropology at DU and the University of Colorado. In 1966 Kent became a full time Assistant Professor of anthropology at the University of Denver.  During the summers of 1966 and 1969 she engaged in field work in the African countries of Nigeria, Ghana, and Dahomey as well as Upper Volta. In 1973 she was promoted to Associate Professor at DU, a rank she held until her retirement in 1978. She was a dedicated researcher on the archaeology and anthropology of textiles. In June 1978 Kent retired as professor emeritus and moved to the Santa Fe, New Mexico area.  She died there on October 28, 1987.

[1] Kent, K. P. The cultivation and weaving of cotton in the prehistoric southwestern United States. Transactions volume 45, no. 6, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 1957.

[2] Kent, K. P. The story of Navaho weaving. Phoenix, AZ: Heard Museum, 1961; and Navaho weaving: Three centuries of change. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research, 1985.

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John Evans

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

University of Denver Founder and Trustee John Evans

Introduction

John Evans (1814–1897) founded the Colorado Seminary in 1864, which later became the University of Denver (DU). He also founded Northwestern University in 1854. Evans was a physician, railroad builder, educator, lawyer, state legislator and a territorial governor.

Background

John Evans was born on March 9, 1814 in Waynesville, Ohio. He graduated from Lynn Medical College in Cincinnati in 1838. Evans began practicing medicine in Attica, Indiana in 1838 and specialized in obstetrics. He became the leader in the movement to establish the first state hospital for the insane in Indiana. In 1845 the hospital was opened and Evans was appointed the first superintendent of the hospital. That same year Evans was asked to present a series of lectures at Rush Medical College in Chicago. In 1848 he joined the faculty of Rush Medical College as Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, a position he held until 1857. He was elected to the Chicago City Council in 1852 where he championed public schools and a juvenile justice center. Evans founded Northwestern University in 1855 in Evanston, Illinois. In 1862 he was appointed the second Governor of the Colorado Territory by President Abraham Lincoln. He founded the Colorado Seminary (University of Denver) in 1864 and was elected to the United States Senate in 1865.

Career

John Evans opened the Colorado Seminary in 1864 as an educational institution under the Methodist Church. He modeled Colorado Seminary after the charter he created for Northwestern University. In 1868, the operation of the Seminary was suspended due to monetary constraints. Evans bought and maintained the seminary building after the institution was closed. In 1879 Evans initiated a plan to re-open the Seminary. A new Board of Trustees was set up and Evans was elected President. In 1880 he donated the Seminary property to the new Board of Trustees. On June 24, 1880, the University of Denver was added to the Colorado Seminary name as the degree granting institution by an action of the trustees.

On October 4, 1880 the Colorado Seminary, popularly known as the University of Denver, re-opened with 30 students. The institution ranged from primary grades to academic (university) departments. The university started with a College of Liberal Arts, College of Music, College of Fine Arts and the Colorado Seminary. Over time other colleges were added, such as the College of Medicine in 1881, the Dental College and School of Pharmacy in 1887, the Haish School of Manual Training in 1888, followed by the Law School in 1892 and the School of Theology in 1893. Evans served as president of the University of Denver Board of Trustees from 1879 to 1897.

Evans wrote papers for the Illinois Medical and Surgical Journal,  now known as Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal. One of his articles was entitled “Observations on the Asiatic Cholera and Its Communicable Nature,” (1849). He was also one of the founders of the Illinois Medical Society. From 1848  he was active in founding the Illinois General Hospital of the Lakes, which later became Mercy Hospital of Chicago. In 1866 he had one of his papers reprinted to support his request to the U.S. Congress for the establishment of quarantine regulations to control the spread of cholera. The paper was entitled “Cholera is Subject to No Boundaries Except Those That Prevent Human Intercourse.” His efforts were adopted by Congress and led to a national quarantine law.

Evans was named president of the Denver Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company after he procured from Congress the passage of the Denver Pacific Land Grant that gave Colorado railroad rights. He was instrumental in the development of the Denver, Texas, and Gulf Railroad.  The City of Denver named Mt. Evans (14,260 ft.) after him through an 1895 legislative act in honor of his contributions to the railroad industry. The City of Evanston, Illinois was also named after him because of his influence on the life of the city and the founding of Northwestern University. Evans was one of the organizers of the Denver Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade. He was also instrumental in the move of Colorado’s capitol from Golden to Denver. Evans died in 1897. Upon his death, his assets were split almost evenly between Northwestern University ($180,000) and the University of Denver, with more than $150,000.

References:

Biographical Files: John Evans, Special Collections (Denver: University of Denver Penrose Library).

John Evans, Who’s Who in American History, in the Penrose Digital Library, http://search.marquiswhoswho.com/executable/SearchResults.aspx?db=E (accessed July 29, 2010).

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Murray Armstrong

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Introduction

Murray Armstrong served as the third coach for the University of Denver (DU) men’s ice hockey team from 1956-1977.  Armstrong took a leading role in establishing DU hockey as a source of pride for the university.  He played professional hockey for ten years prior to beginning his coaching career.  During the 1960-1961 season, Armstrong coached the DU team that has been referred to as one of the greatest teams in college hockey history, which posted a 30-1-1 record.  His team competed with the Russian National team and won five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships.  Armstrong was named Coach of the Year during the 1960- 1961 season by the Western Conference Hockey Association and the American Coaches’ Association.  He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.

Mens Ice Hockey Coach Murray Armstrong

Men's Ice Hockey Coach Murray Armstrong

Background

Armstrong was born in 1915 in Semans, a small town in the Saskatchewan wheat belt in western Canada.  He was an avid hockey player, and dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL).  His dream was realized in 1936 when Armstrong was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. After playing in Syracuse, New York, he was traded to the New York Americans of the NHL where he played three seasons and scored a combined total of 88 points.  His best season was in 1939 when he made 16 goals and 20 assists for a total of 36 points.  Armstrong entered the Canadian Army after the 1941-1942 season.  After the war he was sent to the Detroit Red Wings where he played for three years before retiring  as a player.  He next coached for nine years in Canada before transferring to Texas to coach for the Dallas Texans for one season, taking  the team from last place to first.  In 1956 he joined the University of Denver as its third hockey coach and transformed the team.

Career

1958 Mens Ice Hockey TeamMurray Armstrong is described as having a “fiery and competitive spirit, characteristic honestly and outspoken candor.” When he was hired Armstrong told the University that he would earn a national championship for them in three years or resign. DU hockey won its first championship in 1958, two years after Armstrong began coaching.  DU went on to win 12 championship banners and soon became known for its excellence in hockey.  In 1959, DU competed against the Russian National Team and tied them four to four. During the 1959-1960 season DU claimed victory over the eventual gold-medal U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.  During his career 18 out of 21 seasons surpassed his “minimum expectation” level of a fifty percent win/lose record.  He coached 18 All-American players and 15 of his former Pioneer players went on to play in the NHL or World Hockey Association.

Under Armstrong’s guidance, DU hockey won five  NCAA championships and seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) league championships. During his 21 seasons as coach, University of Denver hockey posted a combined record of 463 victories, 215 losses, and 31 ties.  In addition to his passion for hockey, Armstrong was an enthusiastic golfer and coached the DU Men’s Golf Team.

Mens Golf Team

Men's Golf Team

Armstrong retired to Florida in 1977 at the age of 62 to play golf and spend more time with his wife Freda. When asked for personal highlights of his career Armstrong replied “maybe the first game with the Russians and the first NCAA championship might be called highlights. But I’ve enjoyed my life in every state from player to coach to retirement. The biggest joy I had was working with the young men of the University of Denver.”

Armstrong died in 2010 at the age of 96.

Sources

“Armstrong To Be Inducted Into CSHF Feb. 18,” The University of Denver Communiqué, February 11, 1974, Vol. 6, No. 19.

“A Tribute to Murray Armstrong” (paper presented at Marriott Hotel by the University of Denver Pioneer Club, Denver, Colorado April 15, 1977).

Bud Mayer, “Murray Armstrong and Al Harden,” University of Denver.

Irv Moss, “Ex-DU Coach Favors Florida,” The Denver Post, June 27, 1982, section 5E.

Jim Benton, “DU’s Armstrong Trading Ice for Time in Florida,” The Rocky Mountain News, April 15, 1977.

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Heber Reece Harper

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Chancellor Heber Harper stands on a platform and prepares to address the crowd at the University of Denver Stadium groundbreaking ceremony on March 26, 1925 in Denver, Colorado.

Introduction

Heber Reece Harper (1885 – 1969) served as the fourth chancellor of the University of Denver (DU) from 1922 to 1927. He is credited with bringing more financial support to DU than any chancellor who preceded him. Harper’s personal financial contributions and his promotion of the humanities both during and after his tenure as chancellor demonstrated his dedication to making DU a leading university with an international reputation.

Background

Harper was born in Manchester England in 1885. His family moved to the United States when he was five years old. He  received degrees in theology from both Boston University and Allegheny College. He was ordained a pastor in the Methodist and Congregational churches and later studied at German universities in Halle and Leipzig from 1913 to 1915. After serving as DU’s chancellor, Harper returned to Europe to continue his studies. He earned a PhD in philosophy from Columbia University in 1931 and remained there to teach for the next five years. In 1936, he was appointed regional director of the social security office in Denver which later became the Federal Security Agency. During World War II, he served as a member of the US State Department staff.

Career

During his tenure as chancellor, Harper was a firm advocate for the humanities and their importance. To encourage growth and development in the humanities and to strengthen Denver students’ awareness and understanding of world affairs Harper established the Social Science Foundation which eventually grew into the Graduate School of International Relations. Harper’s contributions were central to DU’s growth as a well-rounded, competitive private university. As the Board of Trustees of the University of Denver noted upon Harper’s resignation, Harper “raised the standards of the university; increased the faculty and strengthened the curriculum. He has brought recognition to the university from the people of Denver and Colorado, and from other educational institutions and foundations. Through his leadership, the material resources of the university have been actually increased by more than one hundred percent.”[1]

Harper made two separate personal $100,000 contributions to DU, the first in 1961 for the Mary Reece Harper Humanities Garden (in memory of his mother), and the second in 1966 to the DU Humanities Endowment Fund. He retired in 1952 and died in October of 1969, while swimming in the Sakonnet River near his summer home in Rhode Island. He was 84 years old.


[1] Evans, John, President of the Board of Trustees, et. al.

Sources:

“All the University’s Men: DU’s 15 Chancellors.” University of Denver Today. 4 March 1989:  1.

“Dr. Heber R. Harper, Ex-Educator, Dies.”  The Evening Bulletin: Providence, R.I. 8 October 1969.

Evans, John, President of the Board of Trustees, et. al.  Resolution Adopted by the Board of Trustees of The University of Denver and Colorado

Seminary At Their Annual Meeting June 7, 1927 on the Occasion of the Acceptance of the Resignation of Heber Harper as Chancellor. 7 June 1927.

“Former Chancellor Harper Dies While Swimming.”  The Clarion.  8 October 1969: 3.

“Heber Harper Looks Back to Beginnings of Foundation.” The Clarion.  8 March 1968: 6-7.

“Humane Arts Fund Established at DU.”  The Denver Post.  11 May 1966.

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