On Whittlesey, Bowman and Harvard
On Whittlesey, Bowman and Harvard
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关于惠特尔西、鲍曼和哈佛
DOI：
10.1111/j.1467-8306.1988.tb00199.x
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发表时间：
1988
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
G. Martin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
G. Martin
In this invited commentary I wish to propose modest revision of the emphases placed on the roles of Whittlesey and Bowman in “Academic War over the Field of Geography”(Smith 1987). Before Whittlesey accepted a post at Harvard University, a very close friendship with Harold Kemp had already been formed. This seems to have developed while Whittlesey was studying at the University of Chicago, 1912-15.’When he accepted a position as Acting Assistant Professor of History at Denison University, Granville, OH, Harold Kemp went with him. While in Granville, Whittlesey wrote to his family (January 10, 1916)“Nobody but Harold knows how much I like him and how hard a pull it will be if we have to separate.“* Months later Whittlesey and Kemp returned to the University of Chicago where they remained the closest of friends. Kemp undertook studies leading to Bachelor and Master’s degrees. Whittlesey, who had already completed these degrees in history, undertook doctoral work in geography and history. He assumed a post in the geography department and began demonstrating a competence which was to win attention. Notably, with Wellington Jones he wrote Types of Climate (1922) and An htroduction to Economic Geography (1925). In 1926 Whittlesey proposed that Kemp be appointed to a junior instructorship in the Department of Geography. Charles Colby joined him in supporting Kemp. The matter was made departmental and a vote taken. Jones and Coode voted against Kemp’s inclusion. HH Barrows cast the deciding vote against Kemp.’When the suggestion of a position at Harvard arose, Whittlesey at once showed his interest. He was given a post as assistant professor (a reduction of rank and salary). He wrote to the Dean, claiming that he had expected appointment as associate professor, then wrote to R. Blanchard after the He accepted the offer and wrote to Blanchard,“As I understand it the plan is to have me devote all my time the first semester to assisting you with your two courses,“Principles of Human Geography” and” Regional Geography of Western Eur~ pe.”~ Assisting Blanchard became something of a vexation to Whittlesey. He administered and graded examination papers for Blanchard (who spent much of the year in Europe and preferred to spend Christmas there), then reported results to Blanchard in Crenoble, eg “Your class in Alpine geography was successful. It was not necessary to turn in a grade of F for anyone.‘I6 Whittlesey attempted to arrange summer school teaching for Blanchard (eg, at Berkeley in 1931,‘helped him by sending photographs to editors to illustrate his articles, and otherwise looked after departmental details. Stephen Jones has written that Whittlesey “came to hate Blanchard, who regarded an assistant professor as an assistant to the professor, and how!’’8 Whittlesey was tied down by the tasks of administrative detail: Blanchard was free to lecture on both sides of the Atlantic and to travel. It was not what Whittlesey had expected. Whittlesey began to seek promotion for himself, develop a departmental program of “chorology” and bring his friend Harold Kemp into the department. Whittlesey had already corresponded with W. M. Davison thissubject. He had helped Kemp obtain a position at Dartmouth College and had secured a winning letter from Barrows supporting Kemp, even though two years earlier Barrows had cast the deciding vote denying Kemp a junior instructorship in the Chicago department. The Dartmouth post became for Kemp a stepping-stone to appointment at Harvard.All the above was possible as Blanchard was not interested in building the department, while his work was beginning to focus …
