Calvin Plimpton
Encyclopedia
Calvin Hastings Plimpton (7 October 1918, Boston, Massachusetts – 30 January 2007, Westwood, Massachusetts
) was an American physician and educator, who served as president of Amherst College
and American University of Beirut
. He is known for appointing a commission in 1970 whose findings resulted in the admission of women to Amherst in 1975.
Plimpton was the son of George Arthur Plimpton
, who was chairman of the Amherst board of trustees from 1906-36. His mother was Fanny "Anne" Hastings and through her he was descended from Thomas Hastings (colonist)
who came from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
in 1634. Plimpton attended Phillips Exeter Academy
, and received his bachelor's degree from Amherst, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity. He received his master's and M.D. degrees from Harvard University
, and his Doctor of Medical Science degree from Columbia University
. He served in the U.S. Army as a captain during World War II
, and later taught at Columbia.
Plimpton was president of Amherst from 1960–71, President of Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y Division of State University of New York 1971-1979 and of American University of Beirut from 1984-87.
Westwood, Massachusetts
Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,618 at the 2010 census. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its...
) was an American physician and educator, who served as president of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
. He is known for appointing a commission in 1970 whose findings resulted in the admission of women to Amherst in 1975.
Plimpton was the son of George Arthur Plimpton
George Arthur Plimpton
George Arthur Plimpton was an American publisher and philanthropist.Plimpton was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, the son and grandson of iron manufacturers. He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy in 1873 and Amherst College in 1876...
, who was chairman of the Amherst board of trustees from 1906-36. His mother was Fanny "Anne" Hastings and through her he was descended from Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings was a prominent English immigrant to New England, one of the approximately 20,000 immigrants who came as part of the Great Migration. A Deacon of the church, among his many public offices he served on the Committee of Colony Assessments in 1640 and as Deputy for Watertown to the...
who came from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1634. Plimpton attended Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
, and received his bachelor's degree from Amherst, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
fraternity. He received his master's and M.D. degrees from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and his Doctor of Medical Science degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He served in the U.S. Army as a captain during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and later taught at Columbia.
Plimpton was president of Amherst from 1960–71, President of Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y Division of State University of New York 1971-1979 and of American University of Beirut from 1984-87.