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William Wistar Comfort (1874 – December 24, 1955) was president of
Felix Morley Named Head of Haverford
''
William Comfort, Educator, 81, Dies
''
Mrs. William Comfort
''William Wistar Comfort (1933-2016): In Memoriam
speial issue of ''Topology and its Applications'', Edited by A.W. Hager, His papers are held at Haverford.
William Wistar Comfort (1874 – December 24, 1955) was president of Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
.
Life
Comfort was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and raised aQuaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
. He graduated from Haverford College in 1894 and received a Ph.D. from Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1902 with dissertation "The Development of the Character Types in the French ''Chansons de Geste
The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th cen ...
''". Later he translated from Old French four 12th-century ''Arthurian Romances'' by Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes (Modern ; fro, Crestien de Troies ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects, and for first writing of Lancelot, Percival and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's works, including ''E ...
(Modern Library, 1914) and the 13th-century ''Queste del Saint Graal'' (Quest of the Holy Grail). He was a polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
, with other written works on such topics as Quakerism, children's literature, and the poet William Cowper
William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scen ...
.
Comfort served as President of Haverford College for 23 years, from 1917 to 1940, and was succeeded by journalist Felix Morley
Felix Muskett Morley (January 6, 1894 – March 13, 1982) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and college administrator from the United States.
Biography
Morley was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, his father being the mathematician Frank Mo ...
.(3 April 1940)Felix Morley Named Head of Haverford
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
He continued to teach until 1953, and died at his home located on the campus in 1955. He was survived by his wife of 53 years, the former Mary Foles, five children,(25 December 1955)William Comfort, Educator, 81, Dies
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''(11 May 1965)Mrs. William Comfort
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' (his widow died in 1965.) and several grandchildren including a mathematician named after him ( :de:W. Wistar Comfort).speial issue of ''Topology and its Applications'', Edited by A.W. Hager,
Jan van Mill
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numb ...
, Volume 259 (1 June 2019)References
External links
* * * * 1874 births 1955 deaths Haverford College faculty Haverford College alumni Harvard University alumni Educators from Philadelphia Presidents of Haverford College {{US-academic-administrator-stub