Inventory of the President Edwin Harrison (1916-2001) Papers, 1930-1968 [bulk 1957-1965]

UA003

Biography/Administrative History of President Edwin Harrison (1916-2001) Papers

After Edwin Harrison was inaugurated as the sixth president of Georgia Tech in August 1957, his outgoing personality helped develop warm and trusting relationships with students, faculty, alumni, and the Atlanta community. His previous positions included Dean of Engineering at the University of Toledo and Assistant Dean at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Harrison graduated from the Naval Academy in 1939 and served in the Navy until 1945. He earned his master's degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1948 and his doctorate degree from Purdue University in 1952. Both were in the field of mechanical engineering.

Harrison became president after Colonel Blake Van Leer passed away in office in January 1956 and Paul Weber served an interim term for nearly seventeen months. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents had a long and difficult search for presidential candidates because of the social climate and racial tension of the South during the 1950s. Potential contenders for the position were not interested in helming the presidency of a university in Georgia because of discriminatory state laws and the inevitable integration crisis. There was also the inability of Georgia Tech to match the faculty and administrative salaries of peer institutions. Harrison proactively addressed both these issues during the first half of his presidency.

When Georgia Tech integrated peacefully in 1961, it was the first school in the Deep South to do so without a court order. Harrison and his staff wanted to retain control over the situation, lest student riots and other disorderly conduct should occur much as they did at the University of Georgia in Athens (UGA) and other southern schools. He also wanted to keep the federal courts from as well as preventing the closure of the school. At the time, state law prohibited the integration of any public school. This was Georgia's direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education. Harrison was successful in his intentions. When three of the thirteen applicants enrolled in the 1961 fall semester, the daily campus life went mostly undisturbed.

The other issue during the early years of Harrison's term was the inability of Georgia Tech to pay competitive salaries to the faculty, which negatively affected retention rates. A key solution to this problem was the creation of the Joint Tech-Georgia Foundation. This fund-raising organization supplemented salaries of faculty at both Georgia Tech and UGA and helped to attract top educators and researchers from around the nation.

During Harrison's presidency, Georgia Tech celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1963 with year-long events. Over 100 speakers were invited to the campus and several notable individuals spoke at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, including Pulitzer-Prize winner and Atlanta Constitution editor Ralph McGill, General Lucius Clay, and Chief Justice Earl Warren. When the official convocation was held in October 1963, 275 representatives of universities from around the country came to observe the occasion with Tech.

One of the projects conducted in conjunction with the 75th anniversary was the Institute Self Study. This internal and external survey of the present and future of the school took three years to complete. It was undertaken to achieve the following goals: to chart expansion of land and people since the school was founded; to improve the quality of academic programs; to reorganize the campus administration; to gauge the relationship of Georgia Tech to the state economy; and to attract national attention by improving the Institute image.

Even with all these accomplishments, Harrison's lasting legacy to Georgia Tech is another matter that occurred during of his term in office. During the 1950s and 1960s, federal, state, and local support for urban renewal was readily available and Harrison took advantage of this situation. He contracted for two separate master plans and added 128 acres to the campus. One of these master plans led to the creation of a traffic loop called Tech Parkway, now known as Ferst Drive. Hemphill Avenue was closed through campus; it originally ran all the way to North Avenue and joined with Lucky Street. Grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation provided funds for the modern buildings, including the Neely Reactor Research Center. Other buildings constructed during this time included Skiles Classroom Building, the Library's Crosland Tower, Brittain Dining Hall, Rich Electronic Computing Center, five dormitories, and many more. Other buildings were in the planning stages during Harrison's term, as well.

When Harrison resigned in 1969 after eleven years in office, it came to many without warning. There had been a slow build-up of differences between him and the school's governing Board of Regents over long-term goals and administrative procedures. The official statement to the campus and to the public only offered the fact that he thought ten years was long enough to be president of one university. Also, with a vacancy in the Vice President of Academic Affairs, he felt the timing was right so that a new president could select his own V.P. In April 1969, students and the campus community celebrated "Wonderful Ed's Day," so proclaimed by the mayor of Atlanta. Harrison worked with J.P. Stevens and Company for seven years before retiring. He died in 2001.

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Description

President Edwin Harrison was charged with monumental administrative tasks and decisions during his eleven years in office. The materials in this collection offer evidence to support the fact that he carried each and every responsibility with commitment and grace. Several issues stand out above the rest.

First and foremost is the explosion of campus construction during his term. Significant campus master plans can be found in Oversize Folder 2. The Georgia Tech Development Plan is housed in all of Box 7 and Box 8, Folders 1-4. Records and correspondence relating to constructions of specific buildings are usually arranged by the name of the building or major. These folders are located throughout the collection, but are most prevalent in the first 10 boxes and Boxes 17-20.

Along a similar vein of expansion, Southern Technical Institute, now known as Southern Polytechnic State University, outgrew the Naval Air Station in Chamblee ten years after its founding. In 1958, proposals were submitted from both DeKalb and Cobb counties to either keep or lure the school. Correspondence, reports, maps, and aerial photography (separated to VAUA3) document the timeline of the decision made by Georgia Tech and the Board of Regents. These materials are housed in Box 34, Folders 4-8, all of Box 35, and Oversize Folders 3-4.

The Joint Tech-Georgia Foundation was created to raise funds to supplement the lower-than-national-average faculty and administrative salaries. This was a successful cooperation from Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia in Athens. Documents pertaining to this organization can be found in Box 19, Folders 6-7.

With the dawning of the space age, Georgia Tech focused a great deal of their research and development on nuclear energy. Plans to build a nuclear reactor facility are housed in all folders of Box 17 and Box 18, Folders 1-7. The National Science Foundation awarded grants to build this facility and those proposals can be found in Boxes 24-28 and Box 29, Folders 1-2. Harrison was involved with many commissions, one of which was the Georgia Nuclear Advisory Commission (Box 11, Folder 11).

Georgia Tech celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1961 with many scheduled events and speakers. Correspondence, including letters of congratulations, relating to this can be found I Box 32, Folders 9-10 and Box 33, Folders 1-2. The most controversial speaker to appear was Chief Justice Earl Warren. His Supreme Court had ruled in 1954 that separate public facilities were not equal, thus paving the way for integration. Many voiced their disapproval to Harrison on inviting him to speak. These letters are housed in Box 33, Folder 3.

The annual reports found in Box 39, Folders 5-16 are a small sampling of the campus departments. There is no consistent basis on why these reports were kept with Harrison's papers and why others are not.

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Arrangement

Original order was maintained for this collection by using the mostly alphabetical filing system created by the Office of the President. Similar subjects spanning several folders were consolidated whenever possible.

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Restrictions

Restrictions: Access

The following folders are restricted until 2065: Box 20, Folder 4; and Box 29, Folder 4.

Restrictions: Use

Permission to publish materials from this collection must be obtained from the Head of Archives and Special Collections.

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Subject Headings

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Administrative Information

Separations

Photographs have been separated to VAUA003.

Preferred Citation

Please cite President Edwin Harrison (1916-2001) Papers (UA003), Archives, Library and Information Center, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Provenance

The Office of the President donated these papers (Accession #1985.1101; old number: 85-11-01).

Processing Information

Yen M. Tang processed these papers in 2003.

Revision Information

February 2006: Finding aid converted from Encoded Archival Description Version 1.0 to Version 2002.

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Other Finding Aids

A print copy of this finding aid is available in the Georgia Tech Archives reading room.

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Folder List

Box	Folder
1	1	Admissions Policies, 1965
	2	Administration Building Remodeling (See also: Oversize), 1960-1967
	3	Air University Board of Visitors, 1962-1965
	4	Alexander Memorial Building, 1953-1963
	5	R. Elam Anderson Correspondence, 1963-1964
	6	Apalachin Conference, 1961
	7	Architecture Building Proposal, 1957-1964
	8	Army ROTC, 1952-1965
	9	Army ROTC, 1952-1965
	10	Associated Industries of Georgia, 1962-1963
	11	Atlanta World's Fair Committee, 1963
Box	Folder
2	1	Atomic Energy Commission, 1956-1962
	2	Atomic Energy Commission, 1956-1962
	3	Atomic Energy Commission, 1956-1962
	4	Estate of A. D. Black, 1958-1962
	5	Budget, 1960-1963
	6	Budget, 1960-1963
	7	Budget, 1960-1963
Box	Folder
3	1	Budget, 1963-1964
	2	Budget, 1963-1964
	3	Howard "Bo" Callaway Correspondence, 1957-1964
	4	Chemistry Building Annex, 1960-1963
	5	Civil Defense, 1961-1963
	6	Civil Defense, 1961-1963
	7	Chemical Engineering-Ceramic Engineering Building, 1959-1961
Box	Folder
4	1	Chemical Engineering-Ceramic Engineering Building, 1962-1965
	2	Chemical Engineering-Ceramic Engineering Building, 1962-1965
	3	Classroom Building, 1957-1965
	4	Classroom Building, 1957-1965
	5	Classroom Building, 1957-1965
	6	Rich Electronic Computer Center, 1957-1958
	7	Controller, 1950-1958
	8	Controller, 1950-1958
Box	Folder
5	1	Controller, 1962-1963
	2	Committee on Co-op Education, 1959-1965
	3	Committee on Co-op Education, 1959-1965
	4	Committee on Co-op Education, 1959-1965
	5	Defense Advisory Committee on Education, 1961
Box	Folder
6	1	Defense Advisory Committee on Education, 1958-1963
	2	Defense Advisory Committee on Education, 1958-1963
	3	Defense Advisory Committee on Education, 1958-1963
	4	Desegregation, 1961
	5	Division of Education, 1963
Box	Folder
7	1	Georgia Tech Development Plan (See also: Oversize), 1957-1962
	2	Georgia Tech Development Plan (See also: Oversize), 1957-1962
	3	Georgia Tech Development Plan (See also: Oversize), 1957-1962
	4	Georgia Tech Development Plan (See also: Oversize), 1957-1962
	5	Georgia Tech Development Plan (See also: Oversize), 1957-1962
	6	Georgia Tech Development Plan (See also: Oversize), 1957-1962
Box	Folder
8	1	Georgia Tech Development Plan, 1963-1965
	2	Georgia Tech Development Plan, 1963-1965
	3	Georgia Tech Development Plan, 1963-1965
	4	Georgia Tech Development Plan, 1963-1965
	5	Brittain Dining Hall Rehabilitation, 1962-1964
	6	Names for Dormitories, 1959-1960
	7	Dormitory Building Project, 1959-1960
	8	Dormitory Building Project, 1959-1960
Box	Folder
9	1	Dormitory Building Project, 1957-1964
	2	Dormitory Building Project, 1957-1964
	3	Dormitory Building Project, 1957-1964
	4	Electrical Engineering Building, 1957-1962
	5	Electrical Engineering Building, 1957-1962
	6	Electrical Engineering Building, 1957-1962
	7	Electrical Engineering Building, 1957-1962
Box	Folder
10	1	Electrical Engineering Building, 1964-1965
	2	Engineering Experiment Station, 1957-1965
	3	Engineering Experiment Station, 1957-1965
	4	Engineering Experiment Station, 1957-1965
	5	Engineering Experiment Station, 1957-1965
	6	Future of Engineering Experiment Station, 1960-1961
	7	Engineering Experiment Station - Seismic Station, 1962-1964
Box	Folder
11	1	Space Needs for Engineering Experiment Station, 1958-1963
	2	Estate of Lettie P. Evans, 1958-1960
	3	Fellowships, 1957-1962
	4	Football Seating Charts, 1958-1964
	5	Fort Belvoir - ROTC Camp, 1959
	6	Foundations, 1958-1961
	7	Fraternity Matters, 1957-1964
	8	Fraternity Matters, 1957-1964
	9	Fraternity Matters, 1957-1964
	10	Georgia Tech Research Reactor Report, undated
	11	Georgia Nuclear Advisory Commission, 1950-1959
Box	Folder
12	1	Georgia Nuclear Advisory Commission, 1958-1964
	2	Georgia Education Association, 1958-1962
	3	Georgia Aerospace Administration, 1958-1963
	4	Georgia Aerospace Administration, 1958-1963
	5	Georgia Fire Training Institute, 1957-1963
	6	General Electric Board, 1962
	7	Co-education, 1957-1965
	8	Coca-Cola Laboratory Trailer, 1958-1962
	9	Cuban Students Assistance, 1960-1965
	10	Georgia Progress Newsletters, 1946
Box	Folder
13	1	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
	2	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
	3	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
	4	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
	5	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
	6	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
	7	Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 1957-1966
Box	Folder
14	1	Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 1959
	2	Georgia Tech Foundation, 1957-1963
	3	Georgia Tech Foundation, 1957-1963
	4	Georgia Tech Foundation, 1957-1963
	5	Georgia Tech Foundation, 1957-1963
	6	Georgia Tech Foundation, 1957-1963
Box	Folder
15	1	Georgia Tech Foundation, 1961-1964
	2	Georgia Tech Research Institute, 1956-1964
	3	Georgia Tech Research Institute, 1956-1964
	4	Georgia Tech Research Institute, 1956-1964
	5	Gifts, 1958-1962
Box	Folder
16	1	Gifts, 1962-1964
	2	Governor's Commission on Education, 1963
	3	Graduate Council, 1957
	4	Gulf Oil Corporation Fellowships, 1961-1964
	5	Marvin S. Griffin Correspondence, 1955-1959
	6	Edwin Harrison Personal Correspondence, 1956-1961
	7	American Dental Trade Association Annual Meeting, 1957-1958
	8	Higher Education Facilities Act, 1964-1965
	9	Housing and Home Finance Agency, 1958-1960
	10	Housing and Home Finance Agency, 1958-1960
Box	Folder
17	1	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1957-1962
	2	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1957-1962
	3	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1957-1962
	4	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1957-1962
	5	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1957-1962
Box	Folder
18	1	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	2	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	3	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	4	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	5	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	6	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	7	Nuclear Reactor Facility, 1958-1963
	8	Nuclear Research Center, 1963
	9	Nuclear Research Center, 1963
	10	Lockheed Nuclear Laboratories, 1963
Box	Folder
19	1	Inauguration, 1957-1958
	2	Infirmary Building, 1955-1961
	3	Infirmary Building, 1955-1961
	4	Industrial Relations Center, 1939-1963
	5	International Cooperation Administration, 1955-1959
	6	Joint Tech-Georgia Development Fund, 1955-1967
	7	Joint Tech-Georgia Development Fund, 1955-1967
	8	Lawson Apartments, 1950-1964
	9	State Appropriations Committee, 1948-1963
	10	Georgia Legislature Visit, 1963
Box	Folder
20	1	Library Building, 1955-1964
	2	National Asociation of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, 1965
	3	National Asociation of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, 1965
	4	Gary Bradley Application [RESTRICTED], 1965
	5	Correspondence, 1964-1965
	6	Correspondence, 1964-1965
	7	Correspondence, 1964-1965
	8	Correspondence, 1964-1965
Box	Folder
21	1	Correspondence, 1965
	2	Correspondence, 1965
	3	Correspondence, 1965
	4	Correspondence, 1965
	5	Correspondence, 1965
	6	Correspondence, 1965
Box	Folder
22	1	Correspondence, 1965-1966
	2	Correspondence, 1965-1966
	3	Correspondence, 1965-1966
	4	Correspondence, 1965-1966
	5	Correspondence, 1965-1966
	6	Correspondence, 1965-1966
Box	Folder
23	1	Correspondence, 1966
	2	Correspondence, 1966
	3	Industrial Development Research Center, 1961-1964
	4	Industrial Development Research Center, 1961-1964
	5	Industrial Development Research Center, 1961-1964
	6	University of South Florida Investigation, 1962
	7	Motor Pool, 1962-1963
	8	Committee on Moving Picture of Georgia Tech, 1953-1964
Box	Folder
24	1	National Science Foundation, 1957-1961
	2	National Science Foundation, 1957-1961
	3	National Science Foundation, 1957-1961
	4	National Science Foundation, 1957-1961
	5	National Science Foundation, 1957-1961
	6	National Science Foundation, 1957-1961
Box	Folder
25	1	National Science Foundation, 1961-1963
	2	National Science Foundation, 1961-1963
	3	National Science Foundation, 1961-1963
	4	National Science Foundation, 1961-1963
	5	National Science Foundation, 1961-1963
	6	National Science Foundation, 1961-1963
Box	Folder
26	1	National Science Foundation, 1962-1965
	2	National Science Foundation, 1962-1965
	3	National Science Foundation, 1962-1965
	4	National Science Foundation, 1962-1965
	5	National Science Foundation, 1962-1965
	6	National Science Foundation, 1962-1965
Box	Folder
27	1	National Science Foundation, 1963-1964
	2	National Science Foundation, 1963-1964
	3	National Science Foundation, 1963-1964
	4	National Science Foundation, 1963-1964
	5	National Science Foundation, 1963-1964
	6	National Science Foundation, 1963-1964
Box	Folder
28	1	National Science Foundation, 1964-1965
	2	National Science Foundation, 1964-1965
	3	National Science Foundation, 1964-1965
	4	National Science Foundation, 1964-1965
Box	Folder
29	1	National Science Foundation, 1963-1965
	2	National Science Foundation, 1963-1965
	3	Naval Reserve Officer's Training Corps, 1954-1963
	4	Dianne Nicholson vs. Shlomo Barnoon [RESTRICTED], 1964
	5	Nicols Foundation, 1960-1961
	6	Noble Foundation, 1960-1961
	7	Naval Air Station (See also: Oversize), 1946-1959
	8	Naval Air Station (See also: Oversize), 1946-1959
Box	Folder
30	1	Naval Air Station, 1959-1961
	2	Robert Kiehl - Doctoral Dissertation Abstract, 1957
	3	New York Accrediting, 1942-1961
	4	NASA Meeting, 1963
	5	NASA Research Proposals, 1964
	6	Paper Technology, 1958
	7	Parachute Club, 1961-1962
	8	Parking Permits, 1957-1961
	9	Parents' Day Committee, 1958-1961
	10	Personnel Approvals, 1957-1965
Box	Folder
31	1	Employee Physical Examinations, 1956-1956
	2	Physical Plant Building, 1959-1961
	3	Pollution Research laboratory, 1961-1962
	4	President's House, 1958-1961
	5	Radio Isotopes Laboratory Building, 1958-1964
	6	Research Committee, 1963
	7	Research Committee, 1963
	8	Research Proposals, 1964
	9	Research Proposals, 1964
	10	Research Proposals, 1964
Box	Folder
32	1	Rifle Range, 1930-1962
	2	Sedition and Subversive Activities Act, 1957-1962
	3	Seminar House, 1961
	4	Self-Study of Georgia Tech, 1961-1963
	5	Self-Study of Georgia Tech, 1961-1963
	6	Self-Study of Georgia Tech, 1961-1963
	7	Scholarships, 1957-1962
	8	Scholarships, 1957-1962
	9	75th Anniversary, 1958-1962
	10	75th Anniversary, 1958-1962
Box	Folder
33	1	75th Anniversary, 1963
	2	75th Anniversary, 1963
	3	75th Anniversary - Earl Warren Protest, 1963
	4	Southeast Conference, 1954-1963
	5	Southeast Conference, 1954-1963
	6	Southeast Conference, 1954-1963
	7	Southeast Conference, 1954-1963
Box	Folder
34	1	Southeast Conference, 1961-1964
	2	Southeast Conference, 1961-1964
	3	Southern Regional Education Board Building, 1957-1958
	4	Southern Technical Institute (See also: Oversize), 1957-1960
	5	Southern Technical Institute (See also: Oversize), 1957-1960
	6	Southern Technical Institute (See also: Oversize), 1957-1960
	7	Southern Technical Institute (See also: Oversize), 1957-1960
	8	Southern Technical Institute (See also: Oversize), 1957-1960
Box	Folder
35	1	Southern Technical Institute, 1960-1965
	2	Southern Technical Institute, 1960-1965
	3	Southern Technical Institute, 1960-1965
	4	Southern Technical Institute, 1960-1965
	5	Southern Technical Institute, 1960-1965
Box	Folder
36	1	Stribling Memorial Textile Fellowship, 1962
	2	Television Research Committee, 1955-1963
	3	U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors, 1960-1963
	4	U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors, 1960-1963
	5	U.S. Naval Academy Advisory Commission, 1961-1962
	6	U.S. Naval Academy Advisory Commission, 1961-1962
	7	United Student Aid Funds, Inc., 1963
	8	University Center in Georgia, 1957-1961
	9	University Center in Georgia, 1957-1961
Box	Folder
37	1	University System - Proposed Policies, 1957
	2	War Memorial Committee, 1947-1964
	3	WGST Radio Station, 1943-1962
	4	WGST Radio Station, 1943-1962
	5	WGST Radio Station, 1943-1962
	6	WGST Radio Station, 1943-1962
	7	WGST Radio Station, 1943-1962
	8	WGST Radio Station, 1943-1962
Box	Folder
38	1	WGST Radio Station, 1959-1965
	2	WGST Radio Station, 1959-1965
	3	Commission on White House Fellows, 1965
	4	Woman of the Year Committees, 1958-1961
	5	Water Resources Center, 1962-1965
	6	Water Resources Center, 1962-1965
	7	Water Resources Center, 1962-1965
Box	Folder
39	1	John Young Correspondence, 1962-1969
	2	Buildings and Grounds - Tech Place, 1966
	3	Buildings and Grounds Committee, 1962-1964
	4	Southern Technical Institute - Dormitory and Dining Facility, 1963-1965
	5	Annual Report - Alumni Association, 1961
	6	Annual Report - Engineering Extension Division, 1960-1961
	7	Annual Reports - Public Relations, 1960-1963
	8	Annual Report - Academic Affairs, 1967-1968
	9	Annual Report - College Inn, 1962-1963
	10	Annual Reports - Controller, 1958-1966
	11	Annual Reports - Athletic Director, 1961-1968
	12	Annual Reports - Office of Development, 1961-1966
	13	Annual Report - Vice President for Programs, 1967-1968
	14	Annual Report - Registrar and Director of Admissions, 1962-1963
	15	Annual Report - Engineering Experiment Station, 1960-1961
	16	Miscellaneous Annual Reports, 1958-1968
Box	Folder
40	1	Higher Education Facilities Act, 1963-1973
	2	Title I Construction, 1965-1966
	3	Title II Buildings, 1965-1966
	4	Title III Loans, 1963-1977
	5	Title IV Fellowship Program, 1964
	6	Title VI Financial Assistance, 1966-1975
	7	Physical Facility, 1966-1971
Box	Folder
Oversize	1	Administration Building Remodeling, 1960-1967
	2	Georgia Tech Development Plans, 1957-1965
	3	Naval Air Station Plans, 1946-1959
	4	Southern Technical Institute Plans, 1957-1960

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