Chapter XIII – THE BRYAN PERIOD, 1908-1922
Colgate’s seventh president, Elmer Burritt Bryan, relieved Dr. Crawshaw of his duties as president pro tem in the fall of 1909. The Dean had hoped that he himself might get the appointment and for a while Dr. Bryan was suspicious of him. In time, however, the President was to discover that no member of the faculty was more loyal and years later he graciously acknowledged that their relations had been entirely harmonious.
Unlike all except one of his predecessors, President George W. Smith, Dr. Bryan was not a clergyman but an educator. A Baptist, he came to Colgate from Franklin College, a denominational institution in Indiana whose president he had been since 1905. Born in Ohio, he spent most of his life in Indiana where he graduated from the State University in 1893 and taught in the public schools, at Butler College and at his Alma Mater. Following advanced study at Harvard and Clark Universities, he was Normal School Principal and Superintendent of Education in the Philippines.
Dean Crawshaw remembered the President as “a man not easily swerved or deterred.”
He also noted that his strength was directed toward accomplishment not resistance. One of his excellent and useful qualities was a well-developed vein of humor which contributed to a sense of proportion. His droll and whimsical expressions gave spice to his conversation and vigor to his speeches, especially those to students. He sought and enjoyed contact with them on all occasions and astounded them with his uncanny memory of their names and accomplishments. Though he was often in pain because of a leg injury he could laugh at things and men and occasionally at himself.
Some of the administrative changes in the Bryan period reflect the
