Former 'U' Pres. Hatcher dies

Former University President Harlan Hatcher, who oversaw the University's largest period of expansion during his 16 years in office, died yesterday at age 99.

"We would like him to be remembered as a man of courage, vision and keen intellect," Anne Hatcher Berenberg, Hatcher's daughter said yesterday, speaking on behalf of the Hatcher family.

"We remember him as a loving husband and father who nurtured the best in his family," Hatcher said. "We remember him as loving, warm ... with an optimistic outlook."

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University President Lee Bollinger said Hatcher will be remembered for leading the University during a time of immense physical growth.

"President Hatcher had a noble bearing, a noble mind and a level of human courtesy unknown in our time," Bollinger said in a written statement. "He presided over the University during one of it's formative stages. His name will always be mentioned in the same breath as Michigan."

During his term as president, the Ann Arbor campus was massively expanded and the Flint and Dearborn campuses were established.

"Hatcher was responsible for overseeing our post-World War II growth, which was the largest the University has experienced," said history Prof. Margaret Steneck, adding that the period is often remembered as the "Hatcher building boom" and includes buildings such as the undergraduate library.

"The development of North Campus had been conceived under (former University president Alexander Ruthven) but it was under Hatcher that the development of North Campus began," Steneck said.

Enrollment grew from 17,000 students at the beginning of Hatcher's term to 37,000 students at the end of his presidency.

His keen memory was one of his remarkable qualities, several University faculty members said.

"I'll always be impressed with his enormous memory," said history Prof. Sidney Fine, who recalled Hatcher reciting the writing of Robert Browning from memory at his 95th birthday celebration.

Hatcher, who was an English professor and wrote several books on the Great Lakes region, was a yearly guest lecturer in the University's course on the history of the University of Michigan, where he spoke on his years as president.

"He has been teaching our class each year right through last year," said Steneck, who teaches the course.

During the course, Steneck said, Hatcher would discuss with clarity the day-to-day activities he performed as president.

"What will always stand out about Harlan Hatcher to me is his memory," Steneck said. "He could remember what he had done and why he had done it."

Dick Kennedy, former vice president for University relations, said that while Hatcher was in office, he and his wife were the ideal presidential couple.

"He and his wife were the epitome of what everybody imagines when they imagine a University president and a first lady on campus," Kennedy said. "He was a scholar and was a supporter of scholarship on campus. (Anne) held her own under any circumstance.

"He managed the University when it's growth was at it's peak," Kennedy said. "It was a very tricky process because the growth was coming so fast - it was a phenomenal management problem and (Hatcher and his administration) solved it."

The later years of Hatcher's term were marked by the rise of student unrest caused by anti-Vietnam War sentiments on campus during the late '60s.

"Hatcher was never comfortable dealing with dissent. We were moving into a different era ... he knew this was an era that he was not able to deal with and he amiably resigned," Steneck said.

During the Red Scare era of the '50s, Hatcher brought three University professors in front of the House Subcommittee on un-American Activities. After the hearings, Hatcher issued a statement that called for the immediate suspension of the three instructors "without loss of pay from all duties and connections to the University." Two of the professors later were fired.

Several members of the University community felt Hatcher's handling of the situation was weak.

"In the McCarthy era, he did some stumbling," Fine said. "Many thought he was too accommodating to the charges against them."

But in an interview with The Michigan Daily last spring, Hatcher said he did not regret how his administration handled the situation.

"We had a complete line of action set out for this thing by the American Association of University Professors and I followed their program along with the regents' approval," Hatcher said.

Peace movement events, such as student protests and sit-ins, began to occur more frequently as Hatcher was leaving office, Kennedy said.

"The other thing that was characteristic of (Hatcher's presidency) was the development of unrest on campus ... something he did not tolerate well," Kennedy said. "Thankfully, none of it became strong until 1967 when he was about to leave office."

Hatcher's dedication to academics was one of his most outstanding values, Kennedy said.

"He was first and foremost a scholar and had immense respect for scholarship," Kennedy said. "He set a tone on campus that helped it maintain its status as an institution during that period."

After he retired from the post of University president, Hatcher sat on the board of directors for the Center for the Great Lakes and continued to attend University events.

Hatcher is survived by his wife Anne, daughter Anne and son Robert as well as four grandchildren. Memorial services are scheduled to be held at Rackham Amphitheater on Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m.

02-26-98