University of Virginia Library

Pursuant to its assignment, the Special Committee on the selection of a president for Mary
Washington College respectfully submits this report to the Board of Visitors.

For the purpose of determining organization and prosedure, our first meeting was held in the
Office of President Darden on May 5. After full discussion, the Chairman was empowered to
employ such stenographic assistance as he considered necessary and to enlist the services
of an executive secretary for conducting and handling the correspondence essential to the
completion of our assignment. It was also decided that letters inviting suggestions and
nominations should be written to college presidents throughout the South and to the heads of outstanding
women's college throughout the nation. Similar letters were sent to the officers of
the Alumnae Association and to all faculty members at Mary Washington College, and to faculty
members of the University of Virginia.

As a result of these letters we received many helpful suggestions and compiled a list of 137
names for consideration.

At a meeting on June 21, it was concluded that, inasmuch as the Board of Visitors had determined
upon a policy of emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences in the Mary Washington Collete
curriculum, all prospects not possessing a background in the liberal arts and sciences should
properly be eliminated. Further screening of the list for other reasons reduced our number of
prospects to six.

It was decided that these prospects should be interviewed individually with sufficient time between
interviews for reflection and discussion of each person's qualifications. A schedule
of meetings with each prospect was arranged by the Committee in order to provide ample time for
full and complete consideration. These meetings started with the first prospect present at an
afternoon session on Friday, September 9. They continued with a dinner meeting on Friday evening,
breakfast on Saturday morning, a mid-morning and luncheon session, and concluded with the
last prospect appearing on Saturday afternoon. President Darden sat with the committee throughout
these interviews and participated in the deliberations

Following this procedure, I think that it is significant that your Committee found itself in
full agreement in its choice of a candidate. We unanimously recommend the election of Dr. Grellet
Collins Simpson to be the chief executive of Mary Washington College.

Dr. Simpson is a native Virginian, born in Norfolk on April 20, 1909. He is the son of Mrs. Johnne
Mabyn Branch Simpson and the late John Calhoun Simpson, a Norfolk businessman. He was married
to the former Miss Dorothy Cottrell of Richmond in 1939

He was awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree at Randolph-Macon College in 1930 and, after serving
successively on the faculties of Randolph-Macon Academy, Bedford, and Randolph-Macon College,
where he taught English and German, he received his Master of Arts degree at the University of
Virginia in 1936, following several summers of study at Charlottesville.

During the course of his graduate work at the University, he studied under the late Dean
John Calvin Metcalf, former Dean James Southall Wilson, and others. He prepared his dissertation
under Archibald Hill, now of the University of Texas, on the manuscript versions of The Seven
Penitential Psalms, ascribed to the early fifteenth century Thomas Brampton. Dr. Simpson received
the Dortor of Philosophy degree from the University of Virginia in 1949. He held the duPont and
Bradshaw fellowships during his graduate study.

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Dr. Simpson was made professor of English at Randolph-Macon College in 1942 and served
collaterally as director of counseling from 1946 until 1952, the year he became dean of the
faculty.

During a four-year leave of absence he served with the American Red Cross and was director
of relief to families of Allied personnel in southern Italy.

Dr. Simpson is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Raven Society, Omicron Delta Kappa, the Modern
Language Association, and of Phi Delta Theta social fraternity. He is a steward of the
Duncan Memorial Methodist Church, Ashland, and is serving his second term as a member of
the Ashland Town Council

It is the firm conviction of the Committee that he possesses in abundance all of the
qualifications requisite to this important position.