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Arthur Eugene Bestor (1879 – February 3, 1944) was an educator. He served as the President of Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, from 1915 to his death in 1944.
Arthur E. Bestor | |
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| Born | Arthur Eugene Bestor 1879 |
| Died | February 3, 1944 |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Spouse | Jeanette Lemon |
| Children | Arthur E. Bestor Jr. Mary Francis Bestor Cram Charles Lemon Bestor |
Biography
editEarly life
editArthur Eugene Bestor was born in 1879 in Dixon, Illinois.[1]
Career
editBestor became assistant director of the Chautauqua Institution in 1905. Two years later, in 1907, he became director.[2] Since 1915, he served as the President of Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, until 1944.[3] He was a proponent of adult education. Under his twenty-nine year administration, the Institution grew from an assembly for teachers and ministers with modest facilities to a wide-ranging summer program with a symphony orchestra, an opera company, a resident repertory theater company, and celebrated lecturers.
Personal life
editHe was married to Jeanette Lemon.[1] They had three children:
- Arthur E. Bestor Jr.[1] He was a distinguished professor of American intellectual and constitutional history, and an important critic of American educational practices.
- Mary Francis Bestor Cram.[1] She was a leader of lay organizations in the American Baptist Church and the Young Women's Christian Association, serving as president of the U.S. organization.
- Charles Lemon Bestor.[1] He was a composer of contemporary classical music, a music educator, and professor of music (emeritus) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Death
editHe died on February 3, 1944, in New York City.[1]