{"id":10,"date":"2018-01-27T01:50:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-27T01:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/foundersday\/founder-bios\/"},"modified":"2022-09-07T10:18:41","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T15:18:41","slug":"founder-bios","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/founder-bios\/","title":{"rendered":"Founder Bios"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Biographies of Macalester&#8217;s Founders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Read quick facts about the Macalester founders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#suzuki\">Esther Suzuki<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#davis\">John B. Davis, Jr.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#doty\">Margaret Doty<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#owen\">Mary Gwen Owen<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#lealtad\">Catharine Lealtad<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#turck\">Charles Turck<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#mitau\">G. Theodore &#8220;Ted&#8221; Mitau<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#wallace\">James Wallace<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#neill\">Edward Duffield Neill<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mitau\"><a name=\"mitau\"><\/a>G. Theodore &#8220;Ted&#8221; Mitau<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>German-Jewish immigrant, came to Mac as a student, graduated 1940.<\/li><li>Became professor of political science. President Charles Turck appointed him Mac&#8217;s first non-Christian department chair.<\/li><li>Always urged students to be politically active.<\/li><li>Very demanding teacher. Many former students say his high expectations prepared them to succeed in life.<\/li><li>G. Theodore Mitau Endowed Professorship in Political Science is held by David Blaney.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lealtad\"><a name=\"lealtad\"><\/a>Catharine Lealtad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Mac&#8217;s first African American graduate, 1915.<\/li><li>Became a pediatrician; served children affected by poverty, famine and war.<\/li><li>Was commissioned a major in U.S. Army during World War II; supervised medical services for children in German refugee camps.<\/li><li>Fought cholera epidemic sweeping through China in 1946.<\/li><li>Treated children of poor families in New York for decades. After &#8220;retiring,&#8221; worked at mission hospital in Puerto Rico and free clinic in Mexico nine more years.<\/li><li>Created an endowed scholarship at Mac in 1983.<\/li><li>Only person to receive two honorary degrees from Mac (for her career and her post-retirement service). Passed away 1989.<\/li><li>Lealtad-Suzuki Center in Kagin Commons named for her and Esther Suzuki<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"davis\"><a name=\"davis\"><\/a>John B. Davis, Jr.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Mac president 1975-1984.<\/li><li>Saved Mac from bankruptcy.<\/li><li>Took office with the college in debt. DeWitt Wallace, Mac&#8217;s only major donor at the time, had stopped giving because of what he saw as overspending. John Davis pledged to keep the budget balanced and regained Wallace&#8217;s trust. Wallace resumed giving, including a substantial final gift to Mac&#8217;s endowment.<\/li><li>Once told student protesters occupying his outer office, &#8220;The U.S. Constitution protects the rights of its people to assemble. I applaud your exercise of that right\u2026.Please have a good day.&#8221; Then he went inside and got to work.<\/li><li>Trademark: a bow tie.<\/li><li>John B. Davis Lecture Hall named for him<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"doty\"><a name=\"doty\"><\/a>Margaret Doty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Macalester\u2019s dean of women from 1924 to 1960; a proper lady but also broadminded.<\/li><li>Successfully worked to make dancing permissible on campus in 1930.<\/li><li>Regularly entertained students and recent graduates at her home near campus.<\/li><li>Attended Mac, graduating in 1914.<\/li><li>Doty residence hall is named for her.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"owen\"><a name=\"owen\"><\/a>Mary Gwen Owen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Graduated from Mac in 1923.<\/li><li>Taught speech and drama, 1928 to 1968.<\/li><li>Founded &#8220;Drama Choros,&#8221; dramatic recitation group which toured nationally and once went to England.<\/li><li>Ahead of her time in many ways. Emphasized social justice. Rode a bicycle. Taught for seven months in 1940 while concealing a pregnancy.<\/li><li>Wrote famous &#8220;MacDo&#8221; etiquette book because she believed lack of good manners could keep students from achieving success.<\/li><li>Trademark: flamboyant red hats.<\/li><li>Mary Gwen Owen Stage in Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center named for her<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"turck\"><a name=\"turck\"><\/a>Charles Turck<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Macalester president 1939-1958, modernized and expanded the campus, doubled enrollment, increased the endowment, strengthened traditions of internationalism and service.<\/li><li>Launched study abroad, international relations major, visiting speaker programs; flew United Nations flag beginning in 1950.<\/li><li>Emphasized importance of service by individuals and by the college.<\/li><li>Diversified the faculty and defended faculty rights to free speech.<\/li><li>Wrote Mac Weekly columns on issues such as racial and economic justice and world peace.<\/li><li>Turck residence hall is named for him.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wallace\"><a name=\"wallace\"><\/a>James Wallace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Taught Greek and classics 1887 to 1923, interrupted by service as Mac president (1894-1906). Remained active until his death in 1939.<\/li><li>Early in his career, Mac sometimes couldn&#8217;t pay faculty their salaries. One year he sent his family to live with in-laws in Ohio where they&#8217;d be fed; he spent cold winter evenings in his coat, sitting on a radiator to keep warm.<\/li><li>As president, criss-crossed the country to raise money to retire building debt, pay faculty, establish an endowment. Also established Mac&#8217;s high standards and was very interested in global citizenship.<\/li><li>Famous story: Arriving on third floor of Old Main to conduct chapel services, he encountered a cow, led there by pranksters. Calmly said, &#8220;Whoever brought the cow up will please remove it.&#8221; Reportedly, his son DeWitt was among the trouble-makers.<\/li><li>Wallace Residence Hall, and several endowed professorships, named for him<\/li><li>Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center named for his wife<\/li><li>DeWitt Wallace Library named for his son (yes, the prankster), who became a major Mac benefactor<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"suzuki\"><a name=\"suzuki\"><\/a>Esther Suzuki<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>First Japanese-American student at Macalester, entered in 1942 at age 16. She was released from a World War II Japanese detention camp in Portland, Ore., in order to attend Mac.<\/li><li>Graduated in 1946 with honors degree in sociology.<\/li><li>Social worker for Ramsey County (Minn.), participated in civil rights groups and developed programs to assist Southeast Asian-American population.<\/li><li>Developed second career as writer and storyteller, giving voice to her hardships and accomplishments as a Japanese-American.<\/li><li>Served on Mac Alumni Association board, received Alumni Service Award and Trustees Award for Meritorious and Distinguished Service. Died 1999.<\/li><li>Lealtad-Suzuki Center in Kagin Commons named for her and Catharine Lealtad.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"neill\"><a name=\"neill\"><\/a>Edward Duffield Neill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Founded Macalester College in 1874 as a Presbyterian college open to students of other faiths; it would be equal to the finest colleges in the East.<\/li><li>Ordained Presbyterian minister, served as Civil War chaplain and adviser to three U.S. presidents.<\/li><li>Came to Minnesota in 1849; founded two churches, established Minnesota&#8217;s public school system and its university.<\/li><li>Spent many years seeking funds to open a private college. Obtained a gift of property from Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist Charles Macalester in 1874 and immediately chartered Macalester College.<\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biographies of Macalester&#8217;s Founders Read quick facts about the Macalester founders: Esther Suzuki John B. Davis, Jr. Margaret Doty Mary Gwen Owen Catharine Lealtad Charles Turck G. Theodore &#8220;Ted&#8221; Mitau James Wallace Edward Duffield Neill G. Theodore &#8220;Ted&#8221; Mitau German-Jewish immigrant, came to Mac as a student, graduated 1940. Became professor of political science. President [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions\/112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/founding-day\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}