by Jessalyn Pinneo
Special Projects Writer

Courtesy University Archives President John F. Kennedy walks alongside Thomas Henry Carroll at Carrollıs inauguration ceremony on May 3, 1961. Kennedy was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony.

Courtesy University Archives University President Thomas Henry Carroll (1961-1964

Courtesy University Archives Acting University President Oswald Symister Colclough (1959-1961)

Jan. 28, 1959, marked the end of an era of both prosperity and controversy in GW history. It was the day that Dr. Cloyd Heck Marvin ­ GWıs longest serving and perhaps most influential president ­ retired.

Marvinıs impending retirement was announced in the Dec. 16, 1958, Hatchet. Oswald Symister Colclough, dean of faculties for the preceding five years, would succeed him as acting president.

Colclough had a tough act to follow. During Marvinıs term as University president, enrollment tripled, endowments increased almost tenfold and physical properties skyrocketed to 18 times what they had been when Marvin first arrived at GW.

Colcloughıs mission, as stated in the Jan. 13, 1959, Hatchet, was to ³move forward on all fronts to meet challenges and opportunities with which (GW) is confronted Š There are only two directions for a university to move in ­ forward or back.²

Colcloughıs presidency lasted until February 1961 and was generally unremarkable, although the University maintained fiscally responsible and raised funds.

On Sept. 20, 1960, a Hatchet headline announced, ³Carroll Elected 13th President,² and Thomas Henry Carroll began his duties at GW on Feb. 7, 1961. The article read, ³Dr. Carroll indicated Š any dramatic change will not be immediate; it will evolve over a long period of time, through the open-minded cooperation of the entire University.² Carroll said he wanted GW to resemble Harvard in its possession of both national and international perspectives.

One of the highlights of Carrollıs term was President John F. Kennedy speaking at his inauguration as GW president in May 1961. Kennedy addressed the GW population and was presented with an honorary doctorate of laws. Like Kennedy, Carroll highly regarded national pride and self-respect, which made Kennedyıs presence at his inauguration even more exciting, both for Carroll and the students.

Carroll kept his promise to affect change in the University. Several months after his inauguration, he removed the clause from GWıs financial aid policy that barred married students from applying for University-sponsored scholarships. He also spent a large portion of his first few years as president strongly encouraging fraternities to accept racial integration. Carroll declined to make that request a formal mandate, however, stating that such a demand would violate the independent nature of the Greek-letter systemıs structure. The position he took on this issue was typical of the sense of justice students and administrators came to expect from him.

Carroll spent a great deal of time observing situations and researching University policies to get a clear idea of how to deal with any possible problems. He didnıt fight for inconsequential issues; rather, he waited until something came to his attention that he very much wanted to change before taking action. Carroll was a man who knew how to choose his battles.