| Barnaby Kenney | |
|---|---|
| 12th President of Brown University | |
| In office 1955–1966 |
|
| Preceded by | Henry Wriston |
| Succeeded by | Ray Heffner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 17, 1914 Halfway, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | June 18, 1980 (aged 65) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina Harvard University |
Barnaby Conrad Keeney (October 17, 1914 – June 18, 1980) was president of Brown University from 1955 to 1966 where he was known and loved by the student body for openness and his dry wit. As he once observed, “One of the joys of the life of an educator, particularly a president, is the amount of free advice he gets.”[1] Keeney then served as president of Claremont Graduate University from 1971 to 1976.[2]
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Kenney was born in Halfway, Oregon on October 17, 1914. He grew up in Hartford, Connecticut where he was a high school track star. He was Greater Hartford champion in the 440-yard dash in 1931 and he won the state championship in that event in 1932.[3] He graduated from the University of North Carolina first in his class in 1936. He later took a master's degree and doctorate in medieval history at Harvard University, where he taught until 1941. In 1941, he was married to Mary Elizabeth Critchfield. They have a son and two daughters.
Subsequently, he served as an intelligence officer for the United States Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Silver Star while serving with the 35th Infantry in World War II.[3] While serving as president of Brown, Keeney worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Keeney was the twelfth president of Brown. During his administration, Brown's operating budget tripled to $25 million a year; its endowment doubled to $55 million, and the value of its physical plant doubled to $40 million. "At college age, you can tell who is best at taking tests and going to school, but you can't tell who the best people are. That worries the hell out of me."[4] Keeney initiated a new admissions policy under which 10% of the places in Brown's freshman class (about 650 students) were reserved for youngsters whose grades ordinarily would not qualify them for an Ivy League college—but who exhibit some "outstanding characteristic." They referred to themselves as "Tom Sawyers," many of whom went on to become Brown's most successful graduates. In 1964 he started a "big brother" exchange program with tiny (500 students) Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, the state's only integrated college. Keeney never ducked away from controversy. In 1964 he stoutly defended his director of health services, Dr. Roswell Johnson, who had prescribed birth-control pills for a handful of marriage-bound students at nearby Pembroke College (Brown University), Brown's female counterpart.[5]
After leaving Brown University, Keeney was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as the first head of the National Endowment and Council on the Humanities.
Keeney died on June 18, 1980 in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 65.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Wriston |
President of Brown University 1955–1966 |
Succeeded by Ray Heffner |
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