By David Colbus, Senior in the College of Arts and Sciences
Student Assistant, University Archives
After publishing our previous blog on Helen Wilson, the Archives’ staff contacted several colleagues and friends of the library who might remember her. We received a reply from none other than retired Vice-President of Student Affairs, Dr. William R. Butler. Dr. B (this is how university colleagues call him) told us that he knew Helen Wilson personally, and talked about her within his book, “Embracing the World.” He continued to tell us that during her “retirement” work in the Department of the Archives, “she was the perfect fit because of her long-term working experiences with the first three presidents and because she became so involved with the U.M. Board of Trustees and the U.M. Alumni Association.”
Much like Helen Wilson, Dr. B has been an important friend to the University Archives. He researched materials at the Archives and Special Collections to write both of his books, “Embracing the World” and “Following My Bliss,” as well as contributed a series of 10 video recordings containing interviews with prominent UM administrators, faculty, trustees, and alumni. The Archives and visiting researchers frequently use “Embracing the World” as a valuable historical resource. This book, written by Dr. Butler in 2008, details University of Miami’s first seventy years, from 1926 to 2006, and describes both the evolution of the university and the people who guided that growth. Butler’s newest book, “Following My Bliss”, published in 2015, extends the global focus he applies in “Embracing the World” and details his international travels both on his own and at the behest of University of Miami. Dr. Butler acknowledged research assistance provided by Richter Library and its staff in Archives and Special Collections.
After an invitation from President Henry King Stanford in 1965, Dr. Butler began working for the University of Miami as the new Vice-President for Student Affairs. Working under President Henry King Stanford, and later Edward T. Foote II, Butler helped promote diversity on campus, student, and volunteer service on campus and abroad. He started work in a period of uncertainty, one dominated by discussions and anxieties surrounding student unrest, protests, and student power. Working with President Stanford, Butler used an “iron hand in a velvet glove” to balance student-led change at the university with a minimization of academic disruption and student violence. As student unrest gradually diminished at the end of the Vietnam War, Butler focused on building University of Miami into a global presence. His recruitment efforts in Latin America, Germany, and China brought in an influx of global scholars and developed the international ties University of Miami maintains today. After 32 years of service, Dr. Butler retired in 1998 at the age of 72, but has remained close and important to the university ever since.
During his time at the university, Butler received multiple honors. He received the German Commander’s Cross for fostering academic exchange between countries, became a director at the Eagle National Bank, and was tapped into Iron Arrow, University of Miami’s most prestigious honor. The University itself has honored Butler in the form of William R. Butler Atrium in the Wellness Center, and the William R. Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development. In fact, Butler donates all proceeds made from his books to the Butler Center, and dedicates both books to the Butler Center’s volunteers. It’s perhaps unsurprising that a man with such a prominent history himself and within the university would be so well-informed about University of Miami’s history. The Archives is thankful to have Dr. B’s knowledge, support, and friendship.
*Click here to find out more about Dr. Butler’s oral history collection “Conversations with Dr. William Butler.”
*Click here to find out more about Dr. Butler’s personal papers.
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