Vivian Blanche Small (1875–1946) was an American educational leader. For 32 years, she served as the fourth president of

Lake Erie College Lake Erie College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio. Founded in 1856 as a female seminary, the college converted to a coeducational institution in 1985. History Lake Erie Female Seminary The semi ...

; in 1941, upon her retirement, she was bestowed the title, ''President Emeritus''.

Early life and education

Vivian Blanche Small was born in

Gardiner, Maine Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner is a nationally accredit ...

, September 17, 1875. Her parents were Leander Marshall and Annie Blanche (Payne) Small. Small graduated in 1892 from Gardiner High School. She earned a B.A. degree from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

(Classics, 1896); M.A. degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

(Latin, 1905); Litt.D. from Mount Holyoke College in 1912; and an LL.D. from

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

in 1913.

Career

Her early career included teaching at Gorham High School,

Gorham, Maine Gorham is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,336 at the 2020 United States Census. In addition to its urban village center known as Gorham (CDP), Maine, Gorham Village or simply "the Villag ...

, 1896–98; and at Howe School,

Billerica, Massachusetts Billerica ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying Indian ...

, 1898–1901. At Mount Holyoke College, she served as Assistant in Latin, 1901–02; instructor, 1902–08; associate professor, Latin, 1908–09; and head of Mead Hall, 1907–09. On July 1, 1909, Small became president of Lake Erie College, retiring on September 1, 1941. During the period of 1917–23, she served as an alumni trustee at Mount Holyoke.

Personal life

In religion, she was a Congregationalist. During her tenure at Lake Eric College, Small resided in

Painesville, Ohio Painesville is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Grand River (Ohio), Grand River, it is a northeast suburb of Cleveland. Its population was 20,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Pa ...

. In 1941, ''5 short pieces for girls chorus'' (1941), by Julius Hijman, lyrics by Carl Sandburg, was dedicated to Small and the Lake Erie College Choir. Vivian Blanche Small died at a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, May 15, 1946.

Selected works

* ''The Use of Nomen and Cognomen in the Poems of Catullus'', 1905

References

External links

Photo
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The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'',

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, January 8, 1937, page 29, via

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Photo
''The Pittsburgh Press'', February 16, 1938, page 21, via Newspapers.com
Press photo
Mount Holyoke, June 14, 1940 {{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Vivian Blanche 1875 births 1946 deaths People from Gardiner, Maine Mount Holyoke College alumni University of Chicago alumni Case Western Reserve University alumni Mount Holyoke College faculty Lake Erie College Women heads of universities and colleges Heads of universities and colleges in the United States People from Painesville, Ohio