President's Office Records ...President's Office Records - Donovan, 1922-1943
Administrative/Biographical History
Herman Lee Donovan was born on March 17, 1887 in Mason County, Kentucky. His early education was in the common schools of that county. He attended Western Kentucky State Normal School, 1906-08, received the B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1914; the M.A. degree from Columbia University in 1920; and the Ph.D. degree from George Peabody College for Teachers in 1925 For a while he was also a graduate student at the University of Chicago. In 1933 the University of Kentucky conferred upon him the LL.D degree.
Dr. Donovan taught in the common schools of Mason County; was a principal of a ward school at Paducah, Kentucky; Superintendent of Schools, Wickliffe; Assistant Superintendent of Louisville public schools; Superintendent of Catlettsburg schools, Dean of the Faculty at Eastern (1921-1923), and Professor of Education at George Peabody College (1924-1928).
On March 26, 1928 Donovan was elected by the Board of Regents president of Eastern State Normal School and Teachers College to replace the recently deceased president Thomas Jackson Coates. During Donovan's administration Eastern was admitted to membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the American Association of Teachers Colleges. It was during his administration that the institution was organized into division of instruction, and graduate work leading to the Master's degree was first inaugurated. Also during the Donovan years the so-called "Normal School" was discontinued, thus eliminating teacher education at the secondary level. Model High School was established as a school for laboratory purposes, and the departments of art, music, physical education and health, biology, chemistry, geography and geology, physics, and commerce were reorganized. Six buildings were added to the campus during his administration: Hiram Brock Auditorium, the Weaver Health Building, Beckham, McCreary and Miller Halls, and the Johnson Student Union Building. The old University building was remodeled, a new addition to the Library was built, and Hanger Stadium completed. *
During his presidency Donovan achieved a reputation as a national educational leader by serving as president of the American Association of Teachers Colleges (1934-1935) and the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges (1938-1939). He was a member of numerous national educational associations and honorary societies such as Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Delta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, and the National Education Association. Donovan was a prolific writer publishing over 100 articles and several books almost exclusively in the field of education and administration.
In 1941 Donovan resigned as president of Eastern to assume the presidency of the University of Kentucky He served as Kentucky's president to 1956. He was married to the former Nell Stuart and they had no children. Donovan died in Lexington, Kentucky on November 21, 1964.
*Most of this information comes from Dorris, J.T. Five Decades of Progress, pp. 44-45.
Author: Charles Hay Administrative Information
The official and personal papers of Eastern's fourth president Herman Lee Donovan (1928-1941) took over a year to process. The official papers comprise the greatest part of the collection. They chronicle the day to day activities of the President's Office. The personal papers offer an interesting picture of Donovan as an aggressive leader who sought to secure a regional and national educational reputation for Eastern. The papers provide unique information on Eastern's history and growth, Richmond and Central Kentucky's social and economic history during the 1920's and 1930s, and higher education practices in Kentucky.
The person most responsible for gathering and initially processing the Donovan Papers is Mr. R.A. Edwards, retired principal of Model High School. A sincere appreciation is offered to him. The guide is divided into two sections, a General Series and Subject Series. Series are arranged alphabetically and then chronologically according to the manner established by Donovan's secretary or Mr. Edwards. At all stages of processing, whenever possible, an attempt was made to maintain the original system of organization. There are, however, overlaps between the series which the researcher should remember. An institutional oral history project has been established which provides an invaluable source of information to supplement the Donovan Papers. Many persons who have been interviewed vividly remember Donovan and his presidential administration. It is hoped that this guide along with the oral history tapes will offer numerous research opportunities.