Walter F. Hendricks (1892 – September 29, 1979) was an educator and founder of three colleges in Vermont, all of which would later close. He founded

Marlboro College Marlboro College was a private college in Marlboro, Vermont. Founded in 1946, it remained intentionally small, operating as a self-governing community with students following self-designed degree plans culminating in a thesis. In 1998, the colle ...

(1946–2020),

Windham College Windham College was a liberal arts college located in Putney, Vermont, on the campus of what is now Landmark College. History Windham was founded in 1951 by Walter F. Hendricks as the Vermont Institute of Special Studies. The school's initial aim ...

(1951–1978), and Mark Hopkins College (1964–1978).

Early life and academic career

Hendricks was born in Chicago and earned his BA from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in 1917. At Amherst, he was a student of

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

. He later earned a master's degree and doctorate 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 ...

. He then served as professor and chair of the English department at

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

. At the end of World War II, he served as director of English at

Biarritz American University In Spring 1945, the U.S. Army's Information and Educational Branch made formal plans to establish overseas university campuses for American service men and women, awaiting demobilization, or redeployment to another theater. Three University cent ...

in France, a temporary college set up for G.I.s awaiting de-mobilization.

College Presidencies

Marlboro College (1946–1951)

In 1946, he founded Marlboro College in

Marlboro, Vermont Marlboro is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,722 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town is home to the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and P ...

and the college would open the following year, in fall 1947. Due to his connection with his former professor Robert Frost, Hendricks convinced Frost to serve as a trustee for the new college. He would serve as president there until 1951, dismissed by the board of trustees after accusing a student, a dean, and the local

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of being Communists.

Windham College (1951–1964)

In 1951, he founded Windham College, which was located about 25 miles east and north, in

Putney, Vermont Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census. The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. His ...

. He would serve as president there until 1964, when dissatisfaction at his management and protests by both students and faculty forced him to resign.

Mark Hopkins College (1964–1972)

Finally, in 1964, he founded his third and final college, Mark Hopkins College, serving as president there until 1972. The main and only administration and classroom building was in a mansion on Route 9 in

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River (Vermont), West River and the Connec ...

. It was called Gibson Hall, named after the previous owners of the building, Ernest W. Gibson Jr., who served as

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

from 1947 to 1950, along with his family. Mark Hopkins College was accredited by the State of Vermont and authorized to grant bachelor's degrees. However it was never accredited by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

. It closed in 1978 after an embezzlement scandal.

Legacy

Tom Ragle, who later served as President of Marlboro College, noted that Hendricks was "a promoter and a good, even master teacher - I never heard his most inveterate opponents deny this." However, he continued "Walter was not a good administrator." Similarly, one student, many years later, reflected that Mark Hopkins College failed because Hendricks was a poor manager.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendricks, Walter F. 1892 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American educators Amherst College alumni University of Chicago alumni Illinois Institute of Technology faculty People from Chicago University and college founders