Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 233

AN INTERIM WITH DR. CONANT

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IMMEDIATELY after Dr. Engler's resignation the Trustees appointed a committee to propose candidates for the Presidency. The ideal candidate appeared to be near at hand, in the person of Mayor James Logan. There was much enthusiasm when it became known that the post had been offered to him, and pressure to accept it was brought upon him from many directions. Mayor Logan deliberated for several weeks, then, in a long letter to the Trustees, set forth several convincing reasons why he must decline the honor. Consequently, the Board decided to move slowly in its selection, and to investigate the qualifications of numerous candidates. In June, 1911, Dr. Levi L. Conant was appointed Acting President.

Dr. Conant was not only the senior member of the faculty, but one of its most highly respected members. He was a mildmannered person, with a small, high-pitched voice, but he possessed remarkable ability as a teacher and had the confidence of the entire staff. Two years before he had published an excellent textbook on "Trigonometry," and he was well known in mathematical circles. At the time of his appointment he was in the midst of deep sorrow, Mrs. Conant having died about four months before. He married again in the summer of 1912.

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