Willis Henry Bocock
Encyclopedia
Willis Henry Bocock was a prominent administrator and professor of Classics at the University of Georgia
. One of the highlights of his career was his appointment as the first Dean of the newly formed University of Georgia Graduate School
in 1910. Much of the present success of graduate programs at the University of Georgia can be traced to his visionary leadership. Throughout his career, Bocock maintained a reputation for excellence in scholarship and leadership. Bocock was, as were many members of the first graduate faculty, a Virginian. He was born in 1865, the son of a prominent Presbyterian clergyman. He attended school in Lexington, Virginia
and at the Kemper School (later Kemper Military School
) in Boonville, Missouri
. Bocock entered Hampden-Sydney College
in 1881. He graduated in 1884 with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Letters. After his graduation from Hampden-Sydney he spent a year at the University of Virginia and obtained diplomas in Latin and Greek. Bocock was a recipient of the now extinct Master of Arts
degree from Hampden-Sydney.
Bocock spent the year after he left the University of Virginia
in Richmond as a school teacher. He was offered the position of professor of Greek at Hampden-Sydney in 1886, a position which he gleefully accepted. Hampden-Sydney president J. D. Eggleston wrote of Bocock: “I doubt whether Hampden-Sydney has ever had a more brilliant teacher than W. H. Bocock. He was elected full professor when he was twenty-one.” Bocock also attended the University of Berlin in the period 1892-93 and traveled throughout Europe. He was offered the chair of Professor of Ancient Languages at the University of Georgia in 1889. In 1894 separate professorships of Greek
and Latin
were created. Bocock assumed the professorship of Greek and William Davis Hooper, another Hampden-Sydney graduate, assumed that of Latin.
With the formation of the University of Georgia Graduate School
in 1910, and Bocock’s appointment as dean, he assumed demanding administrative duties as well as maintaining excellence in teaching. Bocock’s career illustrates the problem with the lack of publications by nineteenth and early twentieth century faculty. Bocock was a talented and assiduous researcher, what he did not have is free time to compile his research. Thomas Walter Reed comments about this problem:
". . . that the inability of the University of Georgia and other Southern institutions to provide enough members of their faculties to make it possible for some members to have time in which to prepare and publish articles and books of great value, has resulted in a loss to American literature of many valuable contributions."
This is certainly true of Bocock, although he made regular contributions to journals such as: Studies in Philology, Classical Review, and American Journal of Philology
, he was never able to publish any extended work.
Bocock developed an interest in international relations as a result of World War I
. He was named Lecturer on International Relations by the University of Georgia Board of Trustees in 1931 and was a popular and prolific speaker on this subject. Bocock served as Dean of the Graduate School for eighteen years. In his tenure enrollment rose from twenty-four graduate students in 1913 to over two hundred in 1928. He stepped down in 1928, at the age of sixty-three, because he felt it was time for a younger man to assume the leadership role. He was succeeded by Roswell Powell Stephens of the Mathematics
Department. Bocock continued teaching and at his retirement in 1945, had served the University of Georgia for fifty-six years. He was noted as an exacting and systematic scholar. It was this outlook that he brought to the systematization of graduate education at the University of Georgia.
Bocock and R. L. McWhorter taught, in 1910, a major graduate course in Greek which consisted of literary selections and exercises in grammar, written and spoken Greek, history, and poetry. The course description points out a problem with early graduate education at the University of Georgia that was common with many other institutions: “studied from sources so far as the library resources of the University permit.” Bocock also taught, by himself, “An Introduction to New Testament Greek.” These classes were in addition to undergraduate teaching and his duties as Dean. The New Testament Greek class was not offered after 1913 and after 1923, Bocock taught the major Greek class by himself. Bocock often decried the declining interest by students in Greek, symptomatic of this is the fact that the 1931-32 Graduate Bulletin notes: “For courses in Greek Literature
, consult the professor.”207 After 1931, the Greek Literature class would be transformed into “Introduction of European Literature” which had a prerequisite of three years of college-level Latin. Greek literature was no longer studied in the original language but was now “Greek Literature in Translations.” In a memorial to Bocock in 1948, Robert Preston Brooks wrote:
"Mr. Bocock was an altogether charming companion. Few men were so perennially delightful. The depth and variety of his knowledge of literature, ancient and modern, and of world history and contemporary affairs was impressive; and he invariably expressed his views in perfect English. No one was ever bored in his presence."
Bocock continued to serve the Graduate School after leaving the deanship. He served as a member of and advisor to the Graduate Council into the 1940s. He retired from the University of Georgia in 1945. Bocock married Bessie Perry Friend of Petersburg, Virginia in 1885. The Bococks had two children: John Holmes Bocock and Natalie Friend Bocock. Bocock died October 31, 1947 in Richmond, Virginia
.
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. One of the highlights of his career was his appointment as the first Dean of the newly formed University of Georgia Graduate School
University of Georgia Graduate School
The University of Georgia Graduate School is a college within the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The UGA Graduate School administers and confers all professional and research master's degrees and doctoral degrees.-History:...
in 1910. Much of the present success of graduate programs at the University of Georgia can be traced to his visionary leadership. Throughout his career, Bocock maintained a reputation for excellence in scholarship and leadership. Bocock was, as were many members of the first graduate faculty, a Virginian. He was born in 1865, the son of a prominent Presbyterian clergyman. He attended school in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
and at the Kemper School (later Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...
) in Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri
This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...
. Bocock entered Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
in 1881. He graduated in 1884 with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Bachelor of Letters. After his graduation from Hampden-Sydney he spent a year at the University of Virginia and obtained diplomas in Latin and Greek. Bocock was a recipient of the now extinct Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from Hampden-Sydney.
Bocock spent the year after he left the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in Richmond as a school teacher. He was offered the position of professor of Greek at Hampden-Sydney in 1886, a position which he gleefully accepted. Hampden-Sydney president J. D. Eggleston wrote of Bocock: “I doubt whether Hampden-Sydney has ever had a more brilliant teacher than W. H. Bocock. He was elected full professor when he was twenty-one.” Bocock also attended the University of Berlin in the period 1892-93 and traveled throughout Europe. He was offered the chair of Professor of Ancient Languages at the University of Georgia in 1889. In 1894 separate professorships of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
were created. Bocock assumed the professorship of Greek and William Davis Hooper, another Hampden-Sydney graduate, assumed that of Latin.
With the formation of the University of Georgia Graduate School
University of Georgia Graduate School
The University of Georgia Graduate School is a college within the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The UGA Graduate School administers and confers all professional and research master's degrees and doctoral degrees.-History:...
in 1910, and Bocock’s appointment as dean, he assumed demanding administrative duties as well as maintaining excellence in teaching. Bocock’s career illustrates the problem with the lack of publications by nineteenth and early twentieth century faculty. Bocock was a talented and assiduous researcher, what he did not have is free time to compile his research. Thomas Walter Reed comments about this problem:
". . . that the inability of the University of Georgia and other Southern institutions to provide enough members of their faculties to make it possible for some members to have time in which to prepare and publish articles and books of great value, has resulted in a loss to American literature of many valuable contributions."
This is certainly true of Bocock, although he made regular contributions to journals such as: Studies in Philology, Classical Review, and American Journal of Philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, he was never able to publish any extended work.
Bocock developed an interest in international relations as a result of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was named Lecturer on International Relations by the University of Georgia Board of Trustees in 1931 and was a popular and prolific speaker on this subject. Bocock served as Dean of the Graduate School for eighteen years. In his tenure enrollment rose from twenty-four graduate students in 1913 to over two hundred in 1928. He stepped down in 1928, at the age of sixty-three, because he felt it was time for a younger man to assume the leadership role. He was succeeded by Roswell Powell Stephens of the Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
Department. Bocock continued teaching and at his retirement in 1945, had served the University of Georgia for fifty-six years. He was noted as an exacting and systematic scholar. It was this outlook that he brought to the systematization of graduate education at the University of Georgia.
Bocock and R. L. McWhorter taught, in 1910, a major graduate course in Greek which consisted of literary selections and exercises in grammar, written and spoken Greek, history, and poetry. The course description points out a problem with early graduate education at the University of Georgia that was common with many other institutions: “studied from sources so far as the library resources of the University permit.” Bocock also taught, by himself, “An Introduction to New Testament Greek.” These classes were in addition to undergraduate teaching and his duties as Dean. The New Testament Greek class was not offered after 1913 and after 1923, Bocock taught the major Greek class by himself. Bocock often decried the declining interest by students in Greek, symptomatic of this is the fact that the 1931-32 Graduate Bulletin notes: “For courses in Greek Literature
Greek literature
Greek literature refers to writings composed in areas of Greek influence, typically though not necessarily in one of the Greek dialects, throughout the whole period in which the Greek-speaking people have existed.-Ancient Greek literature :...
, consult the professor.”207 After 1931, the Greek Literature class would be transformed into “Introduction of European Literature” which had a prerequisite of three years of college-level Latin. Greek literature was no longer studied in the original language but was now “Greek Literature in Translations.” In a memorial to Bocock in 1948, Robert Preston Brooks wrote:
"Mr. Bocock was an altogether charming companion. Few men were so perennially delightful. The depth and variety of his knowledge of literature, ancient and modern, and of world history and contemporary affairs was impressive; and he invariably expressed his views in perfect English. No one was ever bored in his presence."
Bocock continued to serve the Graduate School after leaving the deanship. He served as a member of and advisor to the Graduate Council into the 1940s. He retired from the University of Georgia in 1945. Bocock married Bessie Perry Friend of Petersburg, Virginia in 1885. The Bococks had two children: John Holmes Bocock and Natalie Friend Bocock. Bocock died October 31, 1947 in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.