Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 119

T. Fuller, who for the previous eleven years had been principal of the St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont.

Many letters of inquiry were written to friends and associates of Dr. Fuller, by Daniel Merriman, who had succeeded Edward H. Hall as clerk of the Corporation. The answers were not entirely reassuring. All gave him high praise as a man of integrity and diligence, but most of the replies expressed a doubt about his familiarity with applied sciences, or even a basic knowledge of the natural sciences. A Justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont wrote frankly about Dr. Fuller's attitude toward students, remarking that he gave them the idea "that he was watching them and going to surprize or circumvent them in their mischievous plans. " The evidence in his favor appeared to outweigh the doubts and he was formally elected on July 6. His salary was fixed at $4,000, plus house rent, and he was granted five months' leave of absence for travel in Europe.

Homer Taylor Fuller, a native of New Hampshire, was forty-three at the time of his accession to the principalship. He had been graduated with honors from Dartmouth in 1864, and had received his doctorate in 1880. For three years after graduation he was principal of an academy at Fredonia, N. Y., then attended Andover and Union Theological seminaries, from the latter of which he was graduated in 1869. His preaching experience was limited to a two-year pastorate of a Congregational church in Wisconsin. He became principal of the St. Johnsbury Academy in 1871, and in the succeeding decade increased the academy's enrollment from 50 to 250 pupils and the endowment from $7,000 to $100,000.

Soon after accepting the Worcester appointment, Dr. Fuller sailed for Europe. His visit was marred by a severe illness in Russia, where he was stricken with typhoid fever. As a result, he was not able to complete his study of technical education, and was delayed in taking up his duties at Worcester.

Dr. Fuller began his career as Principal in February, 1883. It would have been ridiculous in that period to suggest a

119

webmaster@wpi.edu

Last Modified: Fri Jul 30 11:15:25 EDT 1999