Richard Wall Lyman

Richard Wall Lyman ( born October 18, 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, † May 27, 2012 in Palo Alto, California ) was American historian, university professor and from 1970 to 1980 president of Stanford University.

Life

After schooling Lyman made ​​during the Second World War 1943-1946 his military service in the U.S. Army Air Corps and began following a course of study at Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, which he finished in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts. Subsequent thereto postgraduate studies in history at Harvard University he graduated in 1948 with a Master of Arts. During this time he became a member of the academic community Phi Beta Kappa and went on to study with the support of a grant from the Fulbright Program at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

On his return he took over in 1953 as a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and taught there until 1958. Besides, he earned a Ph.D. in 1954 at Harvard University.

1958 he was appointed professor of history at Stanford University, where he taught until his retirement. During this time, Lyman, in 1959 received a Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as 1967-1970 and Provost from 1970 to 1980 president of Stanford was.

Upon completion of this activity, he was from 1980 to 1988 president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Throughout his academic teaching and research, he was involved as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Historical Association, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Royal Historical Society.

During his presidency of Stanford, he had to often make the protests of students. He engaged successfully for the admission of more black students and repaid the presentation of a North American Indian, from the logo of the sports cuff of the university. He was committed member of the Democratic Party.