Records of the Office of the President: James Elwood Conner, 1962-1965 | Wheelock College Archives

Series I: Biographical, 1962-1965

Contains newspaper clippings, press releases, board of trustees announcements, and a program for the 1965 dedication of the Lucy Wheelock Memorial Auditorium, signed by Conner.

Series II: Wheelock College Administrative, 1962-1965

Documents some of Conner’s work at Wheelock College. Consists of annual reports, correspondence, and memoranda, mainly dealing with administrative restructuring, plans for the 75^th Anniversary, and the newly acquired President’s House. There is also a reprint of Conner’s 1962 convocation speech.

James E. Conner was the fourth President of Wheelock College. Conner graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1949 and received a Master’s in Education at the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland with a major in Human Growth and Development. He was a specialist in early childhood and elementary education who came to Wheelock in 1962 after serving as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Highland Park, Michigan and as a principal and teacher at elementary schools in Maryland. During his tenure, Wheelock faculty used academic rank for the first time, the number of electives increased, and the College celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a massive fund drive, culminating in the construction of the long-delayed Lucy Wheelock Memorial Auditorium and Multi-Purpose Building (now known as the Activities Building). Conner resigned the presidency of Wheelock in 1965.

Conner, James E.
Early childhood education--History
Universities and colleges--Massachusetts
Wheelock College
Wheelock College. President