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COLLECTION Identifier: HUG 4201.10

Papers of Wilbur J. Bender

Overview

Wilbur Joseph Bender (1903-1969) served as dean of Harvard College from 1947 to 1952 and dean of Admissions and Financial aid for the College from 1952 to 1960. The Papers of Wilbur J. Bender consists of Bender's talks, reports, and other documents produced while serving as Dean of Harvard College and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard. A limited amount of material documents Bender's life in Indiana before arriving at Harvard as a student in 1925, his experiences teaching at Phillips Andover Academy, and his service on the Massachusetts Crime Commission. The collection also includes tributes and memorials to Bender gathered after his death in 1969.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1938-1973

Creator

Researcher access

Open for research with the following exceptions: Harvard University records are restricted for 50 years. Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level. Requires review by archivist.

Extent

1.16 cubic feet (3 document boxes)

The Papers of Wilbur J. Bender consists of Bender's talks, reports, and other documents produced while serving as Dean of Harvard College and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard from 1947 to 1960. A limited amount of material documents Bender's life in Indiana before arriving at Harvard as a student in 1925, his experiences teaching at Phillips Andover Academy, and his service on the Massachusetts Crime Commission. The collection also includes tributes and memorials to Bender gathered after his death in 1969.

Biographical note on Wilbur J. Bender

Wilbur Joseph Bender (1903-1969), Harvard College Class of 1927, taught history at Harvard and later served as dean of Harvard College from 1947 to 1952 and dean of Admissions and Financial aid for the College from 1952 to 1960. A native of Goshen, Indiana, Bender worked as a grade-school teacher and railroad worker before attending Goshen College in the early 1920s. Upon the College's closure in 1923, Bender then transferred to Harvard, completing his undergraduate studies in 1927 at age 24 and receiving his MA in 1930. After completing his studies, Bender served as an assistant dean at Harvard in the early 1930s where he helped organize the Harvard National Scholarship program before leaving the College in 1933 to teach at Phillips Andover Academy.

After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, Bender returned to Harvard as counselor for veterans from 1945 to 1947. He later served dean of the College from 1947 to 1952 and dean of Admissions and Financial aid from 1952 to 1960. His accomplishments as dean include instituting the Allston Burr Senior Tutors program, promoting the tutorial system in the College Houses, and expanding the College's scholarship program for students in inner urban areas.

Following his retirement from Harvard in 1960, Bender became a director of the Boston Permanent Charity Fund and was appointed a member of the Massachusetts Crime Commission in 1963. Bender died in 1969.

Related Materials

In the Harvard University Archives:

  1. Harvard College (1780- ). Office of the Dean. Records of the Dean of Harvard College, 1889-1995 (UAIII 5.33): https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hua04000/catalog
  2. Harvard College (1780- ). Dean of Admissions and Financial Aids. Records of Dean of Admissions and Financial Aids, 1905-1971 (UAIII 5.36.103)
  3. Harvard University. Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Committee on Admission. Reports from the Committee on Admission, 1908-1958 (UAIII 10.12.10)

Inventory Update

This document last updated 2022 April 12.

Processing Information

This finding aid was created by Jennifer Pelose in March 2021. Information in this finding aid was assembled from legacy paper inventories and container management data. Content enclosed in brackets was supplied by the archivist.

The collection was not re-examined by the archivist.

Title
Bender, Wilbur Joseph, 1903-1969. Papers of Wilbur J. Bender, circa 1938-1973 : an inventory
Author
Harvard University Archives.
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hua18021

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
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