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Gummere Family of the USA Richard Mott Gummere Born on 3 August 1883 at Burlington, New Jersey; the son of Francis Barton
Gummere and his wife Amelia Smith Mott. Christine Robinson Born 1885 in Pennsylvania. Children:-
Richard came to Haverford as a small boy when his father took up a professorship there, and grew up in the house on the Circle in the college grounds (now known as College Circle). He entered the college in 1898 and graduated with honours in 1902, particularly in Greek and Latin.While at Haverford he played in the cricket team and captained the soccer team, and also belonged to the Phi Beta Kappa (becoming president of the Haverford Chapter in 1918-19). Soccer, or association football as it was originally known, first became a college sport at Haverford during the 1901-02 winter season. It was introduced to Haverford by Dr. Wilfred Pirt Mustard who had enjoyed the game at Toronto University. Around the turn of the century the cricket clubs around Philadelphia began to play soccer during the winter season, and in January 1902 Haverford formed a team, electing Richard Mott Gummere as their first captain. Haverford became a charter member of the Associated Cricket Clubs Foot Ball League of Philadelphia, and soon after won their Manheim Cup. Since that time soccer has been a popular college sport at Haverford, making them oldest organized college soccer team in the country. Richard spent 1902 and 1903 working for the Provident Life and Trust Company in Philadelphia, before going to Harvard University from 1903 until 1907. During his Harvard Ph.D. studies he organised a soccer team in autumn 1904, which lead to a game between the Harvard University team and Haverford College on 1 April 1905 - it was won by the Haverford team 1-0. After Richard graduated from Harvard with a Ph.D. in the Classics, he returned to teach at Haverford in 1907 as an assistant to Dr. Mustard in the Latin Department. He suceeded Dr Mustard as head of the department and became Associate Professor of Latin, before later becoming Assistant to the President in 1915. In 1918 he left to become Headmaster at the William Penn Charter School in School House Lane, Philadelphia. William Penn Charter is a Quaker school established in 1689 by William Penn and today is the oldest Quaker school in the world.
William Penn Charter School, founded 1689. Gummere wrote Seneca the Philosopher, and His Modern Message in 1922, and was awarded an honourary M.A. by the University of Pennsylvania in 1923. Richard Mott Gummere returned to Harvard University in 1934 to become the Dean of Admissions, an office which he held for 18 years until 1952. During his long term he reformed their admissions program, admitting the best young men he could find from all parts of the country to study for Harvard's B.A. degree. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Association in April 1957; and elected a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 1959, he later became a fellow. In 1959 he became curator at the Lowell Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, an educational foundation providing free public lectures. Dr. Richard Mott Gummere died in December 1969 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is buried with his wife, Christine, in the Firend's Burial Ground at Haverford. If I have something wrong I would greatly appreciate being corrected, or if you have something to add to the story then please email me . Return to main Gummere page. References:- |
