Livingston Farrand

In an age supposedly dedicated to specialization, Livingston Farrand made himself at home in every quarter of the intellectual world. Beyond this catholicity of thought his touch was equally sure in dealing with human nature, regardless of nationality, or type, or work. Nor was there deliberation in this achievement of a rounded nature. Rather did an inborn zest express itself throughout the decades—a zest for everything human, which held him free from entanglement in the limitations common to most individuals.

One consequence of his broad interests and comprehensive experience was to qualify him for that most difficult of modern posts, a college presidency. Educated as a physician, he began his academic career in the field of psychology; therefrom he was drawn into the wide and complex problems of public health and in the campaign against tuberculosis rendered a public service of enduring importance. These busy years brought him before every type of human being and gave him an unusual grasp of organization and finance. To this equipment Farrand added an experience in public speaking that put him at ease before any audience, large or small. When Cornell University needed a new president in 1921, her trustees wisely turned to this extraordinarily equipped public servant. He was fifty-four when he took office and for sixteen years his leadership was a landmark of distinction in the educational world. When his pronouncements came before the public they were uniformly courageous and wise. He kept his head when the anti-Red scare beset the colleges, calmly dismissing the charges as excessive and unreal; and played his part in the uprising against prohibition. Few Centurions can have lived a more complete existence. His fellow-members recall the graciousness of his manner and the unpretentious force of his personality. The heavy burden of his administrative tasks never hampered the urbanity of his speech or compromised his talent for friendship. In an age of haste and turmoil he remained a great gentleman.

Geoffrey Parsons
1939 Century Memorials