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[Identification of item], William Hane Wannamaker Papers, University Archives, Duke University.
The William Hane Wannamaker Papers were received as a transfer in 1972 and 1973.
Processed by Valerie Gillispie
Completed July 28, 2004
Encoded by Valerie Gillispie, August 10, 2004
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
William Hane Wannamaker was born September 28, 1873 in Bamberg, South Carolina. He attended Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C., and received the A.B. degree in 1895. He worked as a school principal for several years, then in 1900, his former professor at Wofford, Trinity President John C. Kilgo, encouraged him to come to Trinity College, Durham, N.C., as instructor in English and graduate student. He received the A.M. degree from Trinity in 1901. He studied at Harvard University, earning an A.M. there in 1902, and completed additional study at several universities in Germany.
He returned to Trinity College as a professor of German language and literature in 1905. In 1910, another former professor from Wofford, William P. Few, became president at Trinity, and Wannamaker became a member of the college's administrative committee. In 1917, he received a Litt.D. degree from Wofford College. In the same year he was named Dean of Trinity College. After Trinity College became Duke University, Wannamaker remained as Dean and became Vice President for the Educational Division in 1926, a post he held until he retired in 1948. According to historian Robert F. Durden, "Wannamaker held the primary responsibility (along with President Few) for faculty recruitment and development--a large task in a rapidly expanding, new research university."
In addition to his academic administrative duties, Wannamaker chaired the Athletic Committee at Duke. He also served on the Board of Education of the City of Durham for 24 years, and was chairman of this board from 1925 to 1947. Wannamaker was also a Trustee of Watts Hospital and a Rotarian.
After his retirement, Wannamaker was named Vice-Chancellor, a title he held until his death in Pine Bluff, N.C., on August 2, 1958. Wannamaker is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, N.C. Wannamaker married Isabel Stringfellow of Chester, S.C., on June 30, 1903. They had four children: Margaret Elizabeth, William Hane, Isabel, and Harriet Foote. Isabel Stringfellow Wannamaker died in November 1957.
The William H. Wannamaker Papers are the official files of the Dean and Vice President of Trinity College and Duke University. The first series, Correspondence, covers the period of Wannamaker's tenure in those positions, 1917-1948, and is arranged chronologically. Topics include student discipline, faculty issues, World Wars I and II, and other administrative concerns. The second series, Personnel, concerns the recruitment and development of the faculty for the years 1930 to 1948, and is arranged chronologically. Faculty appointments and promotions at all levels are included, as are the reports of departmental chairs. The third series, Subject Files, consists of a variety of materials related to Duke University, such as committee and council reports, and reports to the President. It is organized alphabetically.
These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.
This Correspondence series covers the complete period of Wannamaker's tenure as Dean and Vice President, 1917-1949. He was involved in many administrative, faculty, and student issues. It is arranged chronologically. Most of the letters are copies of Wannamaker's outgoing correspondence. Topics include the discipline of students, the effect of World War I and World War II on students and college life, the recruitment and hiring of new faculty and staff, the inquiries of potential students, athletics issues (the Faculty Committee on Athletics), and the Board of Education of the City of Durham, of which Wannamaker was Chairman.
Some personnel and student information may be contained in this series; records, such as search committee files or others pertaining to employment where individuals are identified, are closed for 70 years. In accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended, Duke University permits students to inspect their education records and limits the disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records.
The Personnel series includes correspondence detailing the hiring and promotion of Duke University faculty and staff during Wannamaker's tenure. The Appointments subseries includes both new hires and promotions. The Salary Schedules subseries includes information about department budget allocations, as well as individual faculty members' salaries.
Because this series contains personally identifiable information, it is restricted; please contact the University Archives for more information.
The Subject File series contains information about a number of Duke University offices and organizations. It mainly includes correspondence and reports, including President's Reports. The series is arranged alphabetically.
Includes information about distribution of grades in various departments, statistics about the religious affiliation of Duke students, regulations and policies, and the Dean's welcome for the 1940-1941 school year.
Includes statistical information on grades, not personally identifiable information.