James M. Farr
James M. Farr | |
---|---|
University Professor University Administrator | |
Employer(s) | Florida Agricultural College University of Florida at Lake City University of Florida |
Spouse | Anita Nicholson Harris Farr |
James Marion Farr (February 4, 1874 – March 4, 1958) was an American
Early life and education
Farr was born in
Farr married the former Anita Nicholson Harris in 1901, and the couple had two daughters, Jane and Anita,[6] and an infant son who did not survive.
Academic career
After completing his doctorate, Farr became a professor of English language and literature, the head of English instruction, and later the vice president at one of the University of Florida's four predecessor institutions, Florida Agricultural College (FAC) in Lake City, Florida, from 1901 to 1905.[1] Farr was also the head coach of the FAC "blue and white" college football team for two seasons in 1901 and 1902.[10] Farr was only moderately successful as a football coach, posting a 1–2–1 record in two seasons.[10] During Farr's tenure, the FAC blue and white's sole victory was a 6–0 decision over Florida State College, the predecessor of the modern Florida State University, in 1902.[10]
As a member of the college's
As part of one of his first English classes at the new university, Farr implemented an honor system in 1905.[14] Other faculty members thought the honor system was a good idea, and began to implement it in their own classes on an ad hoc basis.[14] In 1914, the students requested the creation of a school-wide honor code, and university president Albert A. Murphree and the Florida Board of Control approved the concept in 1916.[14]
During the three years from 1916 to 1919, Farr took an outspoken stand on the
Farr also served as the first vice president of the University of Florida from its inception in 1905 until his retirement,
He became the acting, or interim, president upon the unexpected death of president Murphree in December 1927.[1] He served as the university's interim president until his permanent successor, John J. Tigert, assumed office in September 1928.[1] In his role as the university's first vice president, Farr ultimately served under three different university presidents—Andrew Sledd, Murphree and Tigert.
After retiring from the university's faculty because of illness in 1934, Farr and his wife moved to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. He was placed on "special status" and commissioned by the university and Board of Control to write several manuscripts between 1935 and 1941.[1] These writings included an unpublished manuscript of his personal reminiscences of the University of Florida and its predecessor institution, Florida Agricultural College, entitled The Making of a University, and covering the years 1901 to 1934.[18]
Legacy
Farr died in 1958.[19] He was one of the University of Florida's last living links to the generation that was responsible for the university's creation in 1905. Farr's unpublished manuscript, The Making of a University, provides a first-hand account of the politics surrounding the creation of the university, and serves as one of the primary sources regarding the university's early history from its inception in 1905 through his retirement in 1934.
Farr was survived by his wife and daughters.[19]
See also
- History of Florida
- History of the English language
- History of the University of Florida
- List of alumni of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
- List of Davidson College alumni
- List of Johns Hopkins University people
- List of Sigma Alpha Epsilon members
- List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
- List of University of Florida presidents
References
- ^ a b c d e University of Florida, Past Presidents, James Farr (Interim President 1927–1928) Archived 2014-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c d James Marion Farr, Intensives and Reflexives in Anglo-Saxon and Early Middle-English, J.H. Furst Company, Baltimore, Maryland (1905). (See brief personal biography entitled "Life.") Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ a b James M. Farr, The Making of a University (unpublished manuscript), University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries, Special Collections, p. 5 (c. 1935–1941).
- ^ Farr, Making of a University, pp. 5–6.
- ^ See James M. Farr, "The Violet," The Record of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, vol. XV, pp. 317–318 (1895). Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ a b James Marion Farr, Who's Who and What to See in Florida, pp. 103–104 (1935).
- ^ Salutatorians at Davidson Archived 2010-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Davidson Encyclopedia, Davidson College Archives. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ Intensives and Reflexives was a standard reference in its field, and remains in print as of July 2009. See James Marion Farr, Intensives and Reflexives in Anglo-Saxon and Early Middle-English, BiblioBazaar, Charleston, South Carolina (2009). Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Twenty-Fifth Annual Report of the President of the Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, p. 97 (1900). Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ a b c Tom McEwen, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama, pp. 19–27, 363 (1974).
- ^ Samuel Proctor & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 23–24 (1987).
- ^ The University of Florida was first known as the "University of the State of Florida," from 1905 to 1909, when its official name was simplified to its present form.
- ^ Proctor & Langley, Gator History, p. 25.
- ^ a b c Proctor & Langley, Gator History, p. 30.
- ^ a b c University Commission on Race Questions, "Four open letters from the University Commission on race questions to the college men of the South," Internet Archive. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ Proctor & Langley, Gator History, p. 35.
- ^ a b U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, The Great Pandemic, The United States in 1918–1919: Florida Archived 2009-08-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ See, generally, Farr, Making of a University. It was a subject with which Farr was personally well acquainted from his time as professor and vice president—the subtitle of the manuscript was "The personal memoirs of one intimately associated with its growth."
- ^ a b Associated Press, "Ex Vice President Of Univ. of Florida Dies," Ocala Star-Banner (March 5, 1958). Retrieved January 16, 2011. The Associated Press wire article misstates Farr's age as 73; he was actually 84 years old at the time of his death.
Bibliography
- Farr, James Marion, Intensives and Reflexives in Anglo-Saxon and Early Middle-English, BiblioBazaar, Charleston, South Carolina (2009). ISBN 1-110-99970-4.
- Farr, James M., The Making of a University (unpublished manuscript), University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries, Special Collections, Gainesville, Florida (c. 1939–1941).
- McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
- Pleasants, Julian M., Gator Tales: An Oral History of the University of Florida, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2006). ISBN 0-8130-3054-4.
- Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). ISBN 0-938637-00-2.
- Van Ness, Carl, & Kevin McCarthy, Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: The University of Florida, 1853–2003, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2003).