Vanderbilt University - Commodore Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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JAMES HAMPTON KIRKLAND Chancellor-Fmeritus James I iampton Kirkland in Vanderbilt, Past and Future, for every past achievement of his represents a sign of promise for V anderbilt tomorrow. He will grow on and on in glory with the institution which he has set so well on its way. I)r. Kirkland, in answering Vanderbilt's call for leadership, brought no: only to the I Jniversitv. but to the entire South, the highest ideals of scholarly interest and devotion. 1 low little there was in the South of this type of idealism is known to all. With his fine scholarship, his intrepid character, and his skill tn organization, he addressed himself at once to the task of making scholarship respectable and admirable in a region which, two decades previously, had been impoverished and demoralized bv civil war. He labored con- stantlv for the University with no thought of self. I le met courageousls indifference and opposition where he should have had active assistance. He overcame criticism with pa- tience, fought ignorance without resentment, and strove continuouslv when attainment seemed impossible. From the vers beginning he has shown constantly that Yanderbilt is dearer to him than life itself. IXiring his forty-four years of Chancellorship, an adminis- trative career unique in American education. Dr Kirkland increased fifteen fold the fi- nancial resources of the I Jniversitv. 1 le made clear to the student body the ideal of patrio- tism as well as the intellectual life. 1 le stood unflinching!; for the ideal of intellectual sincerity. I its association with ambitions youth and high-minded men. his dream of a golden age. not in the past but in the future, and his striving to make that dream a real- ity have spiritualized wealth, enriched persona! character, elevated human friendships, and left the impress of his noble life on the t diversity. There is not a man who has been con- nected with Vanderbilt t ’niversitv for several decades past but who has the most profound respect, the strongest admiration, the highest praise, the most respectful reverence, and the deepest love for him. But in Dr. Kirkland's own words. Hie past is gone.” His great concern is that Vanderbilt fulfill her future a ‘future more glorious than the past. It is his realization that those who build a university have no occasion for finishing touches; the task is al- ways one of laving foundations. To him, V anderbilt will still abide in ever-increasing strength to record new progress, to discover new truth anti to render more efficient service to the generations vet to come. To this man who, more nearly than any other, embodies the true spirit of our t n i ver- si cy, there is no fitting tribute. We can only say We are grateful.”

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7 L i h - c C c v - - - OLIVER CROMWELL CARMICHAEL Many of my ov»n dreams arc unreali ed tnanv aims unfulfilled. I leave to my successor the task of completing old undertakings and of initiating new ones. It I may take an illustration from rm own garden, which I love so well. I leave m successor no bed of roses, but a hoe and a plow, and an uncultivated held. These words of Chancellor ({meritus lames I lampion Kirkland suggest the enormitv of the task confronting our new Chancellor and anderbilt rejoices in the finding of a man capable of following in his footstep . The new Chancellor of Vanderbilt I University, Dr. Oliver Cromwell Carmichael, is a striking illustration of the fact that the soldiers who served in the late war are not neces- sarily shell shocked, restless, disillusioned, but that some of them have brought to the task of peace and reconstruction the qualities of courage, discipline, and faith that marked them as soldiers. For a score of vears Dr. Carmichael has had consistent educational experiences, lie- cause of this educational background, hts scholarlv attainments, and his administrative abilities he has readib established himself as a leader at anderbtli. 1 lis mental powers, his wisdom, his kindliness, and his energy are blended in such fine proportions that al- ready his influence has bren far reaching among all those associated with the I niversitv. I le has the temperament of a scholar and the ability of an administrator. 1 le has some- thing even beyond this happv mixture of scholarlv and administrative qualities a phil- osophy of life never disturlvd by the clamors of the passing hour. Dr. Carmichael is a gentleman of broadest academic culture, and by travel, observa non, and intensive study he has enriched this culture. Added to his administrative and intellectual abilities and his multiple interests is his love of the South. I lis social and intellectual background has enabled him to perceive clearlv the educational needs of the South, and Vanderbilt under his leadership is destined to plav an important part in the future of higher education in this region.