Overview
Ralph Beatley (1892-1989) was associate professor of education and a tutor in the Department of Mathematics at Harvard from 1922 to 1959. His primary area of focus was the training of secondary school mathematics teachers; he trained teachers and lectured widely on the subject. Beatley was also interested in improving testing in mathematics for college entrance examinations and was an active member of several professional organizations. The Papers of Ralph Beatley contain his professional and personal papers. Professional papers include materials related to teaching, research, writing, lectures, and professional organizations. Personal papers include materials relating to Beatley’s family, Harvard and Roxbury Latin School alumni organizations, the American Defense Harvard Group, and the Unitarian Church.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1903-1968
Creator
- Beatley, Ralph (Person)
Researcher Access
Open for research with the following exceptions: Student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the series level. Requires review by archivist.
Extent
15.63 cubic feet (43 document boxes, 1 legal half document box, 1 card box, and 2 folders)The Papers of Ralph Beatley contain Beatley’s professional and personal papers. Professional papers include materials related to Beatley’s teaching of mathematics and education at Harvard and Radcliffe, Boston University, and other institutions. They also include Beatley’s writing and lectures, including work on two books: Basic Geometry (co-authored with George D. Birkhoff) and The Teaching of Elementary College Mathematics. Lecture materials include drafts, notes, and manuscripts of lectures Beatley gave at a variety of academic institutions. The collection also contains materials relating to Beatley’s work for professional organizations, such as the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England, the Mathematics Association of America, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Sub Committee to Advise the Examinations Staff of the United States Armed Forces Institute, and the College Entrance Examination Board. Personal papers include correspondence, notes, memoranda, and other materials relating to Beatley’s family, Harvard and Roxbury Latin School alumni organizations, the American Defense Harvard Group, and the Unitarian Church.
Biographical Note on Ralph Beatley
Ralph Beatley was associate professor of education and a tutor in the Department of Mathematics at Harvard from 1922 to 1959. His primary area of focus was the training of secondary school mathematics teachers; he trained teachers and lectured widely on the subject. Beatley was also interested in improving testing in mathematics for college entrance examinations. He taught mathematics to Harvard and Radcliffe freshmen and sophomores and directed the mathematics program for the Armed Services Training Program and V-12 units at Harvard during World War II.
Beatley was born in Boston on December 30, 1892 and died in Cambridge on December 29, 1989. He was the son of James Augustus Beatley, Harvard Class of 1873, and Clara (Bancroft) Beatley. Ralph Beatley attended Roxbury Latin School and received an A.B., cum laude, in 1913 at Harvard. He was a recipient of the Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship from 1913 to 1914. In 1921 he received an A.M. at Columbia University. On September 17, 1921 he married Florence Barrett in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Beatley began his career as Head of the Department of Mathematics at Horace Mann School for Boys, a “model” high school of Teachers College, Columbia University. In 1922, he joined the faculty at Harvard, retiring in 1959. Following his retirement from Harvard, Beatley taught at Boston University.
Between 1925 and 1945, Beatley was an active member of a committee of the College Entrance Examination Board which was created to revise examinations in mathematics. He also devised mathematics examinations for the Armed Services Training Program and the United States Armed Forces Institute, as well as other educational organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Cooperative Test Service of the American Council of Education. He was co-author with George D. Birkhoff of Basic Geometry. He wrote a book for use in the classroom entitled The Teaching of Elementary College Mathematics, which was a distillation of many of his ideas, but it was never published. Beatley was President of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England and Vice-President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics during the year 1933-1934.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 10 series. The collection follows the arrangement of call numbers given to series upon receipt at the Harvard University Archives.
- General correspondence, 1919-1959 (HUGFP 111.10)
- Personal papers: non-professional and family, circa 1903-1905, 1913-1967 (HUGFP 111.31)
- Papers relating to lectures and other professional work, 1919-1960 (HUGFP 111.45)
- Papers relating to research books, 1928-1967 (HUGFP 111.50)
- Papers relating to College Entrance Examination Board, 1925-1942 (HUGFP 111.52)
- Papers relating to students, 1919-1959 (HUGFP 111.62)
- Papers relating to courses taught at Harvard, 1921-1959 (HUGFP 111.64)
- Papers relating to courses taught at Boston University, 1959-1968 (HUGFP 111.66)
- Photographs of Ralph Beatley, 1940s, 1958 (HUGFP 111.75)
- Reprints (HUGB B346.72)
Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Ralph Beatley. Received in two accessions: accession 12058, received 1990-09-19 and accession 12213, received 1991-07-01.
Processing Information
The finding aid was created by Erin Clauss in July 2020. Information in this finding aid was assembled from legacy inventories and container management data. Titles are transcribed, except those in square brackets. The collection was not re-examined.
Creator
- Beatley, Ralph (Person)
- Title
- Beatley, Ralph. Papers of Ralph Beatley, circa 1903-1968 : an inventory
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua59020
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.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu