Walter F. Hendricks
- September 29, 1979
- 87 years
About Walter F. Hendricks
Walter F. Hendricks, 87, American educator.
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Full Biography
|Walter F. Hendricks (1892 – September 29, 1979) was an educator and founder of three colleges in Vermont, all of which would later close. He founded Marlboro College (1946–2020), Windham College (1951–1978), and Mark Hopkins College (1964–1978).
Early life and academic career
Hendricks was born in Chicago and earned his BA from Amherst College in 1917. At Amherst, he was a student of Robert Frost. He later earned a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Chicago. He then served as professor and chair of the English department at Illinois Institute of Technology where he taught for 25 years.
At the end of World War II, he served as director of English at Biarritz American University in France, a temporary college set up for G.I.s awaiting de-mobilization.
College Presidencies
Marlboro College (1946–1951)
In 1946, he founded Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont and the college would open the following year, in fall 1947. Due to his connection with his former professor Robert Frost, Hendricks convinced Frost to serve as a trustee for the new college. He would serve as president there until 1951, dismissed by the board of trustees after accusing a student, a dean, and the local postmaster of being Communists.
Windham College (1951–1964)
In 1951, he founded Windham College, which was located about 25 miles east and north, in Putney, Vermont. He would serve as president there until 1964, when dissatisfaction at his management and protests by both students and faculty forced him to resign.
Mark Hopkins College (1964–1972)
Finally, in 1964, he founded his third and final college, Mark Hopkins College, serving as president there until 1972. The main and only administration and classroom building was in a mansion on Route 9 in Brattleboro, Vermont. It was called Gibson Hall, named after the previous owners of the building, Ernest W. Gibson Jr., who served as Governor of Vermont from 1947 to 1950, along with his family.
Mark Hopkins College was accredited by the State of Vermont and authorized to grant bachelor's degrees. However it was never accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. It closed in 1978 after an embezzlement scandal.
Legacy
Tom Ragle, who later served as President of Marlboro College, noted that Hendricks was "a promoter and a good, even master teacher - I never heard his most inveterate opponents deny this." However, he continued "Walter was not a good administrator." Similarly, one student, many years later, reflected that Mark Hopkins College failed because Hendricks was a poor manager.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_F._Hendricks
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Walter F. Hendricks's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Walter F. Hendricks born?
- A.Putney
- B.Brattleboro
- C.Chicagocorrect
- D.Marlboro
Walter F. Hendricks was born in the city of Chicago.
Source: Early life and academic career
2.At which institution did Walter F. Hendricks earn his BA in 1917?
- A.Marlboro College
- B.Amherst Collegecorrect
- C.Illinois Institute of Technology
- D.University of Chicago
Walter F. Hendricks earned his bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1917.
Source: Early life and academic career
3.Who was one of Walter F. Hendricks's professors while he was a student at Amherst College?
- A.Tom Ragle
- B.Ernest W. Gibson Jr.
- C.Mark Hopkins
- D.Robert Frostcorrect
While attending Amherst College, Walter F. Hendricks was a student of Robert Frost.
Source: Early life and academic career
4.What role did Walter F. Hendricks hold at the Illinois Institute of Technology?
- A.Professor and chair of the English departmentcorrect
- B.Trustee
- C.Director of admissions
- D.President
Walter F. Hendricks served as a professor and the chair of the English department at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Source: Early life and academic career
5.Where did Walter F. Hendricks serve as director of English at the end of World War II?
- A.Marlboro, Vermont
- B.Biarritz American University in Francecorrect
- C.Amherst, Massachusetts
- D.Brattleboro, Vermont
At the end of World War II, Walter F. Hendricks served as director of English at Biarritz American University in France.
Source: Early life and academic career
6.In what year did Marlboro College officially open?
- A.1964
- B.1947correct
- C.1946
- D.1951
Walter F. Hendricks founded Marlboro College in 1946, and the institution opened in the fall of 1947.
Source: Marlboro College section
7.Why was Walter F. Hendricks dismissed from Marlboro College in 1951?
- A.He embezzled college funds
- B.He accused a student, a dean, and the local postmaster of being Communistscorrect
- C.He resigned due to student protests
- D.He was a poor administrator
Walter F. Hendricks was dismissed by the Marlboro College board of trustees after accusing a student, a dean, and the local postmaster of being Communists.
Source: Marlboro College section
8.In which town was Windham College located?
- A.Brattleboro
- B.Marlboro
- C.Putneycorrect
- D.Chicago
Walter F. Hendricks founded Windham College in Putney, Vermont.
Source: Windham College section
9.What forced Walter F. Hendricks to resign from Windham College in 1964?
- A.Accusations that he was a Communist
- B.An embezzlement scandal
- C.Dissatisfaction with his management and protests by students and facultycorrect
- D.The closure of the college due to lack of accreditation
Walter F. Hendricks was forced to resign from Windham College in 1964 due to management dissatisfaction and protests from students and faculty.
Source: Windham College section
10.What was the name of the main building for Mark Hopkins College?
- A.Hendricks Mansion
- B.Gibson Hallcorrect
- C.Frost Hall
- D.Amherst House
The main administration and classroom building for Mark Hopkins College was called Gibson Hall.
Source: Mark Hopkins College section
11.Who was the former Governor of Vermont whose family owned the building that became Mark Hopkins College?
- A.Tom Ragle
- B.Robert Frost
- C.Walter F. Hendricks
- D.Ernest W. Gibson Jr.correct
Gibson Hall was named after the previous owners, Ernest W. Gibson Jr., who served as Governor of Vermont, and his family.
Source: Mark Hopkins College section
12.Which organization never accredited Mark Hopkins College?
- A.The University of Chicago
- B.The State of Vermont
- C.The New England Commission of Higher Educationcorrect
- D.The Department of Education
Mark Hopkins College was accredited by the State of Vermont but was never accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Source: Mark Hopkins College section
13.What was the official reason for the closure of Mark Hopkins College in 1978?
- A.Lack of students
- B.An embezzlement scandalcorrect
- C.The resignation of the faculty
- D.The death of Walter F. Hendricks
Mark Hopkins College closed in 1978 following an embezzlement scandal.
Source: Mark Hopkins College section
14.How did Tom Ragle characterize Walter F. Hendricks's professional abilities?
- A.As neither a good teacher nor a good administrator
- B.As a poor teacher but an excellent administrator
- C.As both a master teacher and a brilliant administrator
- D.As a master teacher but a poor administratorcorrect
Tom Ragle noted that while Walter F. Hendricks was a master teacher, he was not a good administrator.
Source: Legacy section
15.On what date did Walter F. Hendricks die?
- A.September 29, 1978
- B.September 29, 1979correct
- C.October 29, 1979
- D.August 29, 1978
Walter F. Hendricks died on September 29, 1979.
Source: Biographical summary
16.How many colleges did Walter F. Hendricks found during his career?
- A.Two
- B.Four
- C.One
- D.Threecorrect
Walter F. Hendricks founded three colleges in Vermont: Marlboro College, Windham College, and Mark Hopkins College.
Source: Biographical summary
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