Charles Madison Sarratt (1888–1978) was an American academic and administrator. He was the co-author of a textbook on mathematics. He was the chair of the department of mathematics at Vanderbilt University from 1924 to 1946, dean of students from 1939 to 1945, vice-chancellor from 1946 to 1958, and dean of alumni from 1958 to 1978.
Charles Madison Sarratt | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 21, 1888 Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1978 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Limestone College Cornell University |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Spouse | Mary Dora Houston |
| Children | Dr Madison "Houston" Sarratt |
| Parent(s) | Robert Clifton Sarratt Frances Amos |
Early life
editSarratt was born June 21, 1888, in Gaffney, South Carolina.[1][2] His father, Robert Clifton Sarratt, served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.[3] His paternal family was of Welsh descent.[4] His mother, Frances Amos, was the daughter of Confederate veteran and Inman cotton plantation owner Charles McAlwreath Amos and granddaughter of Charles Amos, the co-owner of the Cowpens Iron Works and a slaveholder in the antebellum era.[5]
Sarratt graduated from Limestone College.[6] He then graduated from Cornell University, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1911.[7] He went on to receive a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1915.[7]
Academic career
editSarratt taught in the College of Engineering at Syracuse University from 1913 to 1916.[1] He joined the faculty in the department of mathematics at Vanderbilt University in 1916.[2][8] He became the dean of men in 1922.[7] Two years later, in 1924, he was appointed chair of the department of mathematics,[7] and served as chair for the next twenty-two years.[8] In 1939, he became dean of students.[7] In 1946, he was appointed as vice-chancellor.[1][7] He also served as chancellor pro tempore in 1946.[8] From 1958 to 1978, he was retired, yet served as dean of alumni.[3][8] He was known as "Mr Vanderbilt" or "Dean Sarratt," even after he retired.[3]
With Columbia University professor Thomas Alexander, Sarratt was the co-author of Alexander Sarratt-Arithmetics, a three-volume mathematics textbook published in 1924.[1][9]
Civic activities
editSarratt was a member of the American Mathematical Society.[7] He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Sigma Nu.[7] He served on the board of directors of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.[8] He was President of the American Red Cross.[8] He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.[10]
In 1960, Sarratt chaired a committee of black leaders like Stephen J. Wright and Walter S. Davis and white businessmen to put an end to the Nashville sit-ins.[11]
Personal life
editSarratt married Mary Dora Houston in 1922.[1] They had a son, Madison "Houston" Sarratt,[1] who married Martha Haley Davis, the daughter of William Lipscomb Davis.[12]
Death and legacy
editSarratt died on March 24, 1978, in Nashville.[2] The Sarratt Student Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University has been named for him since 1974.[13][14] Inside, the Sarratt Gallery is also named for him.[15] Moreover, his bust is on display there.[2][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Gaffney Man Made Head of Vanderbilt U." The Gaffney Ledger. February 9, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Vanderbilt University – Sarratt Student Center". The Tennessean. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "Invested Life". The Gaffney Ledger. April 7, 1978. p. 3. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sarratt, Noble (June 2, 1927). "History of the Sarratt Family". The Gaffney Ledger. Gaffney, South Carolina. pp. 5–6. Retrieved August 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Granberry, R. C. (February 26, 1953). "Mrs Sarratt Is Capable, Successful in Business". The Gaffney Ledger. Gaffney, South Carolina. p. 9. Retrieved August 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
Grandfather made the cloth for all his slaves.
- ^ "Limestone Grad Is Chosen Head of Vanderbilt U." The Gaffney Ledger. January 1, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sarratt Works With Students At Vanderbilt". The Gaffney Ledger. July 22, 1948. p. 8. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Vanderbilt Official: Dr. Sarratt Is Visiting Mother". The Gaffney Ledger. July 27, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Front Matter". Peabody Journal of Education. 3 (5): 301–303. March 1926. JSTOR 1488743.
- ^ "SARRATT, DR. CHARLES MADISON". Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ Houston, Benjamin (2012). The Nashville Way: Racial Etiquette and the Struggle for Social Justice in a Southern City. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 9780820343266. OCLC 940632744.
- ^ "Houston Sarratt To Wed Miss Davis". The Gaffney Ledger. March 5, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Honor For Us All". The Gaffney Ledger. September 18, 1974. p. 3. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Sarratt Student Center". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "Sarratt Gallery". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
