Inauguration
Paul Swain Havens's mother, Wilson alumna Anne Elizabeth "Bess" Swain.
Paul Swain Havens's sister, Wilson alumna Jean Swain Havens.
In 1936, Paul Swain Havens was selected from of a pool of 137 candidates to serve as president of Wilson College. While he had been expressing interest in positions within other universities preceding this appointment, Wilson held a special significance to Havens, as his mother, Anne Elizabeth Havens (formerly Swain), as well as his sister, Jean Swain Havens, were both alumnae of the college. Furthermore, as Wilson was a women’s college, Havens would be continuing at this institution his work for women’s education which began at Scripps College.
The inauguration of President Havens was a momentous occasion for Wilson College, as well as for the surrounding town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Representatives from more than 150 colleges, universities, and preparatory schools attended the celebration, along with clergymen from local churches, members of Wilson alumnae groups, and state officials. In total, around 1,200 persons turned out for the event. Standing before Wilson’s students, faculty, and distinguished guests, Havens began his presidency by delivering an address on the goals of liberal arts education, which include instilling students with curiousity, open-mindedness, and the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Still from a film strip showing Dr. Harold Willis Dodds, president of Princeton University, speaking at the inauguration of President Havens.
Among the well-wishers who congratulated Havens for his appointment to Wilson’s presidency was the poet T.S. Eliot. Eliot, like Havens, was an American-born Oxford alumnus who had a connection to Scripps College. Emily Hale, a longtime companion to Eliot who is mentioned in the letter below, taught alongside Havens at Scripps College, and is known to have invited Eliot to speak at the college. It is likely that Emily Hale was a friend to Paul and Lorraine Havens, as Lorraine was consulted for a book on the relationship between Hale and Eliot in her later years.
Eliot both congratulates Paul and Lorraine Havens, and invites them to visit him in London.