St. Lawrence University: Sesquicentennial

Hail to the Chiefs: A Brief Look at Many of SLU's Leaders

It has been said that the personality of a college is shaped by its presidents. Over the years, St. Lawrence has had a distinctive array of top officers, six of whom (out of 17) were previously students there. The dates in parentheses below indicate the individuals’ term of office.

Who the University’s first president was depends on how you interpret the meaning of terms used in the 1850s. St. Lawrence was the brainchild of Thomas Jefferson Sawyer, an influential Universalist minister from Massachusetts. He was the first leader of the institution and, as the chief fund-raiser and a principal donor, was named president of the corporation, a title that was later changed to chairman (now chair) of the Board of Trustees.

There are those who say, however, that John Stebbins Lee (1859-1868) was the first president of St. Lawrence; his title was in fact Principal of the Preparatory Department, an essentially “remedial” program that gave students the academic tools to go on to Theological School study. He was the father of the fifth president, John Clarence Lee (1896-1899); his daughter, Florence Lee Whitman, is said to haunt 1 Lincoln Street in Canton (see “What Was That Noise?” on page xx).
Contrarians might argue that the first president of the true St. Lawrence University was Almon Gunnison (1899-1914), for he was the first to preside over both the Theological School and the College of Letters and Sciences after their respective administrations merged at the start of his tenure.

Richmond Fisk (1868-72) initiated Tree Holiday, a day off from classes for students and faculty in an effort to plant trees on the barren, windy hill upon which the single-building college sat. This continues as Moving-Up Day, a late-April ceremony recognizing student and community leadership and achievement.
Absalom Graves Gaines (1872-88) taught numerous courses during which he expounded against evolution. He took his dog to class, where, Gaines said, “He behaves like a well-bred gentleman.”

Alpheus Baker Hervey (1888-94) reportedly spent much of his time peering through a telescope he had mounted in Herring Library, although he did establish the University’s first endowment.

Frank Gallup (1916-18) was the first president to use a telephone at work, but it wasn’t in his office; it belonged to the dean, and it was on a party line.

Richard Eddy Sykes '83 (1919-35) grew up on a farm near Canton, and as his first job at St. Lawrence tended the woodstoves in Richardson Hall when he was 9 years old. He graduated from St. Lawrence in 1883.

Laurens Hickok Seelye (1935-40) introduced an innovative, interdisciplinary freshman seminar focused on world issues and communication skills. It was the ancestor of today’s First-Year Program, a widely-emulated program that has similar goals.

Millard H. Jencks '05 (1940-44), a 1905 St. Lawrence graduate, presided over a Navy training program on campus; many participants returned after World War II as students on the GI Bill.

Eugene G. Bewkes (1945-63) oversaw the period of post-World War II expansion, not only in enrollment but also in the physical plant and in the curriculum. The co-author of a widely-used freshman textbook on Western philosophy, he was also actively involved in numerous community and regional affairs such as the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Foster S. Brown '30 (1963-69), a 1930 graduate of St. Lawrence, built stronger ties between “town” and “gown.” In retirement he and his wife, Kay, spent summers on the St. Lawrence River near Morristown.

Frank P. Piskor (1969-81) further strengthened the relationship between the University and the local community while carefully modulating tensions between the two brought on by such controversies as the Vietnam War. A scholar of wide interests, he was a political scientist who loved literature and was a personal friend of Robert Frost, whose wife was a St. Lawrence alumna. He and his wife, Anne, remained in Canton upon his retirement, becoming involved in a host of civic projects, an engagement he continues to the present.

W. Lawrence “Lawry” Gulick (1981-1987) oversaw a flowering of the arts on campus, bringing to St. Lawrence such groups as the esteemed Alexander String Quartet for annual residencies. He was as comfortable narrating Copeland’s Lincoln Portrait in a tuxedo with the Albany Symphony Orchestra in the auditorium that would later be named in his and his wife’s honor as he was wearing lederhosen and playing his accordion in Canton’s senior citizens’ home.

Patti McGill Peterson (1987-1996), the first woman to lead St. Lawrence, was a strong advocate of international education and the application of technology in teaching. Study programs in Costa Rica and India were added during her tenure, and Launders Science Library and Computing Center was constructed.

Daniel F. Sullivan'65 became the University's 17th president on July 1, 1996. In his 10 years at the University, St. Lawrence has experienced an educational Renaissance, with major initiatives in academics, student life, community relations and economioc development and facilities construction and renovations.

Overview of Themes and Plans Art Gallery Fun Facts Planning Committee Schedule of Events Then and Now Timeline This Month in SLU History
Return to Sesquicentennial	Hail to the Chiefs: A Brief Look at Many of SLU's Leaders It has been said that the personality of a college is shaped by its presidents. Over the years, St. Lawrence has had a distinctive array of top officers, six of whom (out of 17) were previously students there. The dates in parentheses below indicate the individuals’ term of office. Who the University’s first president was depends on how you interpret the meaning of terms used in the 1850s. St. Lawrence was the brainchild of Thomas Jefferson Sawyer, an influential Universalist minister from Massachusetts. He was the first leader of the institution and, as the chief fund-raiser and a principal donor, was named president of the corporation, a title that was later changed to chairman (now chair) of the Board of Trustees. There are those who say, however, that John Stebbins Lee (1859-1868) was the first president of St. Lawrence; his title was in fact Principal of the Preparatory Department, an essentially “remedial” program that gave students the academic tools to go on to Theological School study. He was the father of the fifth president, John Clarence Lee (1896-1899); his daughter, Florence Lee Whitman, is said to haunt 1 Lincoln Street in Canton (see “What Was That Noise?” on page xx). Contrarians might argue that the first president of the true St. Lawrence University was Almon Gunnison (1899-1914), for he was the first to preside over both the Theological School and the College of Letters and Sciences after their respective administrations merged at the start of his tenure. Richmond Fisk (1868-72) initiated Tree Holiday, a day off from classes for students and faculty in an effort to plant trees on the barren, windy hill upon which the single-building college sat. This continues as Moving-Up Day, a late-April ceremony recognizing student and community leadership and achievement. Absalom Graves Gaines (1872-88) taught numerous courses during which he expounded against evolution. He took his dog to class, where, Gaines said, “He behaves like a well-bred gentleman.” Alpheus Baker Hervey (1888-94) reportedly spent much of his time peering through a telescope he had mounted in Herring Library, although he did establish the University’s first endowment. Frank Gallup (1916-18) was the first president to use a telephone at work, but it wasn’t in his office; it belonged to the dean, and it was on a party line. Richard Eddy Sykes '83 (1919-35) grew up on a farm near Canton, and as his first job at St. Lawrence tended the woodstoves in Richardson Hall when he was 9 years old. He graduated from St. Lawrence in 1883. Laurens Hickok Seelye (1935-40) introduced an innovative, interdisciplinary freshman seminar focused on world issues and communication skills. It was the ancestor of today’s First-Year Program, a widely-emulated program that has similar goals. Millard H. Jencks '05 (1940-44), a 1905 St. Lawrence graduate, presided over a Navy training program on campus; many participants returned after World War II as students on the GI Bill. Eugene G. Bewkes (1945-63) oversaw the period of post-World War II expansion, not only in enrollment but also in the physical plant and in the curriculum. The co-author of a widely-used freshman textbook on Western philosophy, he was also actively involved in numerous community and regional affairs such as the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Foster S. Brown '30 (1963-69), a 1930 graduate of St. Lawrence, built stronger ties between “town” and “gown.” In retirement he and his wife, Kay, spent summers on the St. Lawrence River near Morristown. Frank P. Piskor (1969-81) further strengthened the relationship between the University and the local community while carefully modulating tensions between the two brought on by such controversies as the Vietnam War. A scholar of wide interests, he was a political scientist who loved literature and was a personal friend of Robert Frost, whose wife was a St. Lawrence alumna. He and his wife, Anne, remained in Canton upon his retirement, becoming involved in a host of civic projects, an engagement he continues to the present. W. Lawrence “Lawry” Gulick (1981-1987) oversaw a flowering of the arts on campus, bringing to St. Lawrence such groups as the esteemed Alexander String Quartet for annual residencies. He was as comfortable narrating Copeland’s Lincoln Portrait in a tuxedo with the Albany Symphony Orchestra in the auditorium that would later be named in his and his wife’s honor as he was wearing lederhosen and playing his accordion in Canton’s senior citizens’ home. Patti McGill Peterson (1987-1996), the first woman to lead St. Lawrence, was a strong advocate of international education and the application of technology in teaching. Study programs in Costa Rica and India were added during her tenure, and Launders Science Library and Computing Center was constructed. Daniel F. Sullivan'65 became the University's 17th president on July 1, 1996. In his 10 years at the University, St. Lawrence has experienced an educational Renaissance, with major initiatives in academics, student life, community relations and economioc development and facilities construction and renovations.
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