David Crenshaw "Uncle Dave" Barrow Jr. (October 18, 1852 – January 11, 1929) served as chancellor of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

(UGA) in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

from 1906 until his resignation in 1925 (The head of the university was referred to as chancellor instead of president from 1860 until 1932).

Early life and education

Barrow was born in Wolfskin District, Oglethorpe County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, on October 18, 1852. His father was David C. Barrow Sr., a planter and a trustee at the university, and his mother was Sarah Pope Barrow. He married Frances Ingle Childs of Athens in 1879, and they had four children and ten grandchildren. One of his sons, David Francis Barrow, became a member of the UGA Mathematics faculty. Barrow was educated at the University of Georgia, receiving both a B.S. and a degree in engineering (C & M.E.), class of 1874, where he was a member of

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was forme ...

fraternity. After trying the

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and geological

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of Point (geom ...

, he became an

Adjunct Professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

of Mathematics at the university in 1878. His additional responsibilities included Professor of

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

(1883), Head of the combined Department of Mathematics and Civil Engineering, Head of Pure Mathematics, and Dean of the Franklin College in 1899. He became the acting chancellor upon then-Chancellor Hill's death (1905). He was subsequently officially named Chancellor in 1906.

University of Georgia

At the time of his appointment as chancellor, the University of Georgia could be accurately described as a collection of colleges, consisting of a

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

college, a

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

, a

summer school Summer school (or summer university) is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, or provided by a private company, that provides lessons and activities during the summer vacation. Participation in summer school ...

, beginning schools of

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, an embryonic college of

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, and some graduate courses in various fields. When Barrow retired in 1925, the university had become a modern institution. The more established college of agriculture and a structured graduate school existed. In addition, the following schools were created during his tenure: school of education (1908), commerce (1912) (currently known as the

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), and

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(1915). Beginning in 1903, female students were admitted for the first time as summer students and were later enrolled as graduate students (1916) and finally undergraduates (1918). Regular enrollment had almost quadrupled (from 408 in his inaugural year to 1,592 at the end of his tenure) because of Barrow's efforts and the admission of female students. Faculty size had tripled, state funding had increased greatly (from $22,500 in 1906 to $145,000 in 1925), alumni

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

was increased, and several new buildings had been constructed on campus including: Conner Hall (1908), Peabody Hall (1913), Barrow Hall (1916), Soule Hall (1920), Hardman Hall (1922), Milledge Hall (1925) and

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

(1925). Upon his resignation, Barrow was elected as a Chancellor

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for life by the

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Later years

Barrow was often called upon for public service outside of his university duties. In 1907, at the request of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite#United S ...

, Barrow served on the board of the Jeanes Fund for the improvement of rural education for

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. He also served as the neutral arbitrator in the

Central of Georgia Railway The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constr ...

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

in 1909. After black workers were hired to work alongside whites, white employees of the railroad, who were represented by the

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (B of LF&E) was a North American Rail transport, railroad fraternal benefit society and trade union in the 19th and 20th centuries. The organization began in 1873 as the Brotherhood of Locomotiv ...

, called a strike. The black employees received a lower wage than their white counterparts. The issue was settled by a federal board of arbitration, which ruled that black workers should be paid equal pay for equal work. Barrow's vote thus led to the retention of black firemen at equal pay with whites. Chancellor Barrow died in 1929 at his home in Athens. Funeral services were held in the Chapel on UGA's north campus, and he was buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.

Barrow County Barrow County is a county located in the East Central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 83,505. Its county seat is Winder. Barrow County is included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metr ...

an Athens

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, an Athens street, Barrow Hall at the university and the David C. Barrow Chair of Mathematics all honor the late Chancellor.

Notes

References

''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080209161759/http://www.math.uga.edu/about_us/history.html UGA Department of Mathematics Historybr>The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for David C. Barrow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, David C. 1852 births 1929 deaths Presidents of the University of Georgia University of Georgia alumni People from Oglethorpe County, Georgia 19th-century American mathematicians 20th-century American mathematicians Burials at Oconee Hill Cemetery