William Allison Shimer
William Allison Shimer (1894-1983) was an American professor of
Early life
Shimer was born in
Shimer subsequently received a
Phi Beta Kappa and The American Scholar
In 1930 Shimer accepted the position of executive secretary of the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa. He conceived the idea for The American Scholar as a publication collecting scholarly work for a general audience, and he worked to gain support from a variety of publishers and academics, ultimately receiving approval from the Phi Beta Kappa Senate in September 1931. The first issue was released in January 1932. Shimer was the journal's editor for 12 years.[4] In 1943 he resigned to join the armed services[5] and served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy,[2] commanding a unit of the V-12 Navy College Training Program.[6]
Marietta College
After World War II, Shimer was selected to become president of Marietta College in Ohio. Serving during a period of rapid post-war growth, he worked to expand the school's enrollment and physical plant. He hired the distinguished Swiss philosopher Fritz Marti to start a philosophy department at the college.[7]
Shimer became embroiled in personal controversy after he was divorced from his first wife, and a year later married Dorothy Blair, the college's dean of women. The controversy was covered in the national media, and ultimately led to the board of trustees' July 1947 decision to force him from office, despite expressions of support from faculty, students, and townspeople.[2][8][9][10][11]
Hawaii and the World Brotherhood
Shimer and his wife Dorothy moved to Hawaii in 1947, and he taught at the
Writings
Along with many articles over the years,[3] Shimer wrote a book entitled Conscious Clay: From science via philosophy to religion, published in 1948 by Charles Scribner's Sons, in which he argued for the existence of God as "the eternal all-inclusive reality".[16]
References
- ^ a b c "Phi Beta Kappa", The New Yorker, June 8, 1940, pp. 11-12 (subscription required).
- ^ a b c "William Allison Shimer (1945-1947)", Marietta College (accessed 2016-05-19).
- ^ a b c d "Shimer, Moyers are Alumni-Of-The-Year", The Glenville Mercury, April 16, 1970.
- Atheneum Press, reissued by Transaction Publishers2012). pp. xvi-xx.
- ISBN 978-1-135-31410-1.
- ^ Ka Leo O Hawaii, October 10, 1947.
- ISBN 978-0-7618-6599-5.
- St. Petersburg Times, July 29, 1947.
- Pittsburgh Press, July 30, 1947.
- ^ "'Inspiration to Students'", The Day, July 30, 1947.
- ^ Education: Willie Loves Dottie", Time, August 11, 1947 (subscription required).
- Ka Leo O Hawaii, January 16, 1948.
- ASIN B000P0KDR0.
- ISBN 978-1-59752-135-2.
- ^ "Maunaolu College", Maui Attractions, November 2014.
- ^ John Gardner, Book notice for Conscious Clay, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume XVII, Issue 3, p. 211 (1949).