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J. Paul Leonard

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J. Paul Leonard
5th President of San Francisco State University
In office
1945–1957
Preceded byAlexander C. Roberts
Succeeded byGlenn Dumke
5th President of American University of Beirut
In office
1957–1961
Preceded byConstantin Zureiq
Succeeded byNorman Burns
Personal details
Born
John Paul Leonard

December 2, 1901
Lockwood, Missouri, U.S.
DiedFebruary 24, 1995
Walnut Creek, California, U.S.
Resting placeOakmont Memorial Park
SpouseJohnnie Lucille Ferguson (m. 1927–1995)[1]
Children2[1]
Alma materDrury University,
Teachers College, Columbia University
J. Paul Leonard and Sutro Library (2012) at San Francisco State University, view from Malcolm X Plaza
The J. Paul Leonard Library and Sutro Library (2012) at SFSU, viewed from Malcolm X Plaza

John Paul Leonard (1901–1995) was an American educator, and university president.[2] He was the 5th President of San Francisco State University (SFSU) serving from 1945 to 1957; and the 5th President of American University of Beirut serving from 1957 to 1961.[2]

Early life and education

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John Paul Leonard was born on December 2, 1901, in Lockwood, Missouri.[1][3]

Leonard attended Drury University (formerly Drury College), and received a degree in 1923.[1] After his undergraduate graduation he taught in the Springfield Public Schools.[1] Leonard attended Teachers College, Columbia University, and received a master's degree in 1927, followed by his Ph.D..[1] His dissertation was titled "The Use of Practice Exercises in Teaching Capitalization and Punctuation."[1]

Career

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Leonard taught at the College of William & Mary; and at Stanford University in academic administration.[1][4]

In 1945, Leonard became San Francisco State University's president.[4] During his 12-year tenure Leonard moved the SFSU campus from Haight and Buchanan streets in Lower Haight to its present location in the Parkmerced neighborhood.[4] The move allowed for the school to grow and accommodate the post-World War II influx of students, up to 10,000 enrollees.[5] In order to accomplish this goal, Leonard and students needed to appeal to then-mayor Roger Lapham, which only narrowly won legislative approval.[5] Additionally Leonard reorganized SFSUs academics by combining related academic departments into seven divisions, and they started offering master's degrees.[4]

From 1961 until 1967, Leonard was a professor at the Teachers College, Columbia and worked on the "India Project", which resulted in the publishing of academic periodicals, The Indian Educational Mental Measurement Yearbook, and the quarterly The Journal of Indian Education.[1]

Leonard received honorary degrees from Columbia University in 1954, Drury College in 1962, and the University of the Pacific in 1968.[1]

Death and legacy

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He died on February 24, 1995, in Walnut Creek, California.[2][1] The main library at SFSU was named in his honor in 1977.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "J. Paul Leonard, TC Educator, India Expert, Is Dead at Age 93". Columbia University Record. Vol. 20, no. 22. March 31, 1995. ISSN 0747-4504. Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  2. ^ a b c "J. Paul Leonard, 93, University President". The New York Times. 1995-03-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  3. ^ Nolte, Carl (1995-03-01). "J. Paul Leonard". SFGate. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  4. ^ a b c d "J. Paul Leonard". SFGate. 1995-02-28. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  5. ^ a b Hoover, Ken (March 21, 1999). "'100 Years of Opportunity'". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner. p. 113, 116. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
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