by Horace Mann
Descendants of Horace Mann Exhort UBoT to Vote in Favor of the Alumni Board Proposal
3:26 pm in news by Horace Mann
From: The Mann-Dole Family
To: Board of Trustees of Antioch University
Date: August 24, 2007
We are writing on behalf of our extended family which has deep ties to Antioch College. Four of the below co-signers are direct descendants of Horace Mann. Eight members of our family across three generations are Antioch alumni (Marjorie Welsh Dole ’46; Arthur A. Dole, Jr. ’46; Barbara Dole Acosta ’84; Steven Mann Dole (w) ’73; Margaret Welsh ’28, deceased; Harvey Welsh ’22, deceased; Barbara Mann Chandler ’42, deceased; and John Chandler ’42, deceased). This extended family includes educators, community activists, scientists, peace activists, homebuilders and social workers who have been profoundly influenced by the values embodied in Mann’s famous exhortation, “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humankind.”
In the past, our family has donated substantial funds as well as several invaluable pieces of furniture (desk and dining room table) and memorabilia belonging to Horace Mann. We made these donations specifically to Antioch College to preserve the legacy of Horace Mann and to support the mission of the college. John and Barbara Chandler were both particularly generous supporters during their lifetimes and included a sizeable gift to the College in their will. Their intent was to allow others the opportunity to be exposed to the same liberal ideals they received during their college educations. They would join us in feeling bitterly disappointed and betrayed by the misappropriation of the resources we have donated through the years.
Our family strongly opposes the threatened closure. We reject the Board of Trustees’ reasoning for this closure, and we stand firmly opposed to any plan that would threaten the Antiochian principles of democratic community governance and academic freedom. It is the trustees’ responsibility, in our view, to assure that the Yellow Springs campus remains open as a residential college with a full-time, tenured faculty. There appears, however, to be a conflict of interest between the well-being of the satellite campuses and that of the college. We therefore support the position that Antioch College be goverened by an independent board of trustees.
We exhort the board to vote in favor of the Alumni Board Proposal. We pledge to continue our financial support to Antioch College only under these conditions, and will actively oppose anything less.
Signed,
Arthur A. Dole, PhD, ABBP (’46)
Marjorie Welsh Dole, MS (’46)
Barbara Dole Acosta, PhD (’84)
Kenn Chandler (Horace Mann descendant)
Janet Chandler, MS (Horace Mann descendant)
Richa (Horace Mann descendant)
Marty Chandler Miller (Horace Mann descendant)
