Exploring Herman B Wells’ legacy
Herman B Wells was the president of IU for 25 years, from 1938 until 1962, and expanded the University from 11,000 students to more than 31,000 at the time of his retirement. After his retirement, he became the chancellor of the University, a position created expressly for him, which he held until his death in 2000. Wells fell in love with the University during his college career in the 1920s, said James Capshew, IU faculty member and Wells biographer. “He wanted to dedicate his life to the University,” Capshew said. Wells’ legacy is still intact, present in legend and in the campus he helped build. “He would walk all the pathways at night with a book,” said Jerik Tumang, IU student and campus tour guide.
