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Franklin Patterson was born on September 14, 1916. He received his B.A. from Occidental College in 1939, his M.A. from UCLA in 1941, and his Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1942-46, attaining the rank of captain. He had a distinguished career as an educator, author and educational administrator, including serving as the Lincoln Filene Professor at Tufts University from 1957-66.
Franklin Patterson was appointed first president of Hampshire College by the founding board of trustees (which included Harold F. Johnson, Winthrop S. Dakin, Charles Cole and the presidents of Amherst, Mt. Holyoke and Smith Colleges) in 1965. They entrusted him with the task of designing and implementing a new college based on the New College Plan of 1958. After discussing the plans in a conference held in June 1966 to which nationally known educators were invited, Patterson wrote The Making of a College with the assistance of Charles R. Longsworth, Hampshire's first employee and second president. The draft of the book was presented to the Board of Trustees in the fall of 1966. They approved it in principle, and work began in earnest on building and staffing the college.
Patterson selected the Deans and senior administrators, and was intimately involved in the academic planning and faculty hiring for the new college. Hampshire opened in Fall 1970, and Patterson continued as President through the first academic year.
Patterson resigned as President in 1971 to become chairman of Hampshire's Board of Trustees, a position which he held until 1974. The Trustees named Academic Building #1 Franklin Patterson Hall in his honor. He was appointed Frank L. Boyden Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in June 1971. Franklin Patterson died in July 1994.
The collection contains correspondence files from the President's office during Patterson's tenure, usually arranged by correspondent. In addition, they contain subject files, reports, and minutes of meetings and conferences. One series concerns Five College consortial relations, especially important since Hampshire College was founded under the auspices of the other colleges in the consortium.
This collection is organized into six series:
Permission of the President's Office is required for access.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Patterson, Franklin Kessel. President's Records, 1965-1974. Archives, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 01002
The collection was maintained by Franklin Patterson's long-time secretary Ruth Hammen. After his departure from Hampshire, it was stored in boxes in Franklin Patterson Hall until it was transferred to the Hampshire College archives in 1980.
This series is composed of President Patterson's correspondence with the Board of Trustees of Hampshire College, principally while he was President of the College from 1966-1971, although there is some material from 1971-1974, when he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The first three files in Box #1 contain correspondence with the Board as a whole; this box also contains one file grouped by subject concerning the choosing of the motto "Non satis scire" for the college. The remainder of Box #1, as well as Boxes #2 and #3, contain correspondence with individual members of the Board, arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Box #4 contains correspondence with or concerning individual committees of the Board of Trustees. The correspondence in each file is arranged in reverse chronological order.
This series is composed of President Patterson's correspondence with members of the National Advisory Council to Hampshire College, a group of distinguished citizens formed to, in some sense, take the place the not yet existing alumni of the new college, and provide support--moral, educational and financial--for its endeavors. Box #1 contains correspondence with or about the NAC as a whole or in general. The rest of the series contains correspondence with individual members of the NAC. Box #2 contains three files arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent, in which less than four letters each are present. The remainder of the series contains correspondence in alphabetical order by correspondent.
This series contains President Patterson's correspondence with individuals and foundations concerning fund raising for Hampshire College. Box #1 contains mass mailings and general files; Boxes #2-#6 contain individual correspondence folders arranged alphabetically by correspondent or foundation, and the latter part of Box #6 contains correspondence with government agencies.
This series contains President Patterson's correspondence and records of meetings with the other Presidents of the Five Colleges. Box #1 contains two general files concerning Five College activities; the remainder of Box #1 and the beginning of Box #2 contain notes, minutes and correspondence concerning the Five College Presidents' meetings. The remainder of the series consists of files for each of the other institutions and a file of general Five College correspondence.
This series is composed of President Patterson's memoranda and correspondence with the administrators, staff and faculty of Hampshire College. Box #1 contains a general set of staff memoranda and Boxes #1-#4 contain files of correspondence with individual administrators, arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Boxes #5 and #6 contain correspondence with individual members of the faculty, also arranged alphabetically.
This series contains general files--both subject and correspondence-- arranged alphabetically in 20 boxes. In addition to file folders with specific headings, there is a folder for each letter of the alphabet containing miscellaneous papers. Major subject sets include "Consultants" in Boxes #6 and #7; "Constitution" in Boxes #7 and #8; "Curriculum" in Box #8; "Other Colleges" in Boxes #14 and #15; "Students" in Boxes #18 and #19; and "Working Paper #1" (The Making of a College) in Box #20.