Unity, not uniformity, must be our aim. - MPF

Posthumous Doctorate?

A gentleman recently wrote to the Follett Foundation (via an e-mail address which I rarely check because the Foundation is inactive at the moment), asking whether Follett ever received a doctorate from Harvard, and if this might be something they should award posthumously. I checked Tonn's biography on Follett, and Tonn writes that (a) Follett didn't have a scholarly focus toward which to pursue a doctorate, (b) may not have wanted to invest the energy in that direction, and (c) even if she wanted it, Harvard would not have given a PhD to a woman at this time.

So the questions that come to my mind are: (a) Would Follett have seen any value in a posthumous doctorate? (b) Would we see any value in a posthumous (honorary) doctorate? (c) If so, is this something with a chance of success? (d) Is this something worth pursuing?

~ Matthew

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Permalink Reply by Pauline Graham on December 22, 2009 at 11:58am

Dear Terry
My apologiesfor not replying to your note 9 December earlier. I would be pleased to write a short piece on the influence of Follett's teachings on my life, both professional and personal. I reckon Albie (Davies) could produce something scintillating and Prof. Tonn something academically weighty, apart from contributions from other members of this Network.
About Harvard validating Radcliffe certificates as from 1898 (if correct), I wonder how long this underhanded means of acknowledging/not acknowledging Radcliffe graduates lasted. Whilst curious, I wouldn't waste time on this. For me, Follett's greatness lies not in her certificate validated or not but in the integrity of her thinking, the breadth and depth of her humanity and the effort she put in working out ways and means of developing the wholesome, active citizen and the fairer society. We need her insights. We need her teachings.
Regards
Pauline