John Edward Cribbet (February 21, 1918 – May 23, 2009) was a well-known legal scholar, dean of the University of Illinois College of Law, and chancellor of the University of Illinois.[1][2]
John Edward Cribbet | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | |
| In office 1979–1984 | |
| Preceded by | William P. Gerberding |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Eugene Everhart |
| (acting, 1979) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 21, 1918 Findlay, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 2009 (aged 91) |
| Alma mater | Illinois Wesleyan University (BA) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (JD) |
| Profession | University administrator, professor |
Biography
editCribbet was born in Findlay, Illinois, just outside Decatur.[1] His mother raised him after his father died from the Spanish flu.[1] Cribbet received his undergraduate degree from Illinois Wesleyan University.[1] There, he met his wife Betty Smith.[1] After graduation, Cribbet joined the Army for World War II. He served as an aide-de-camp for Lt. Gen. Troy H. Middleton on the European front.[1] His service produced a number of medals and stories, which he would later relate in his popular law lectures.[1]
Cribbet then decided to attend the University of Illinois College of Law where he received his J.D. degree in 1947.[1][3] He spent a few months in law practice in Bloomington, Illinois, at the law firm of Costigan, Wollrab, and Yoder before he was invited back to the University of Illinois to teach law.[1][3] As a professor, he held visiting positions at the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Texas School of Law.[3] In 1967 he was appointed as dean of the law school, a position he held until 1979 when he was asked to serve as chancellor of the campus.[1][4]
Cribbet was survived by his wife Betty; his two daughters, Pamela Steward and Carol Cribbet-Bell; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.[1]
Chancellorship
editCribbet was named acting chancellor on July 1, 1979, after William P. Gerberding left the position for the presidency of the University of Washington.[4] The University of Illinois Board of Trustees formally named Cribbet as chancellor in December of that year.[4] At the time of Cribbet's appointment University President Stanley O. Ikenberry had positive words for the new Chancellor. He stated Chancellor Cribbet "[would] bring to the position of chancellor extensive experience as an academic leader, what [he had] found to be an extraordinary soundness of judgment, and an absolutely superb reputation in his profession."[4] For his part, the new chancellor told the press that he would strive to "strengthen the voice" of students and faculty in campus governance.[4]
Termination of Gary Moeller
editWhile still in his capacity as acting chancellor, Cribbet was involved in the decision to terminate Illinois Football head coach Gary Moeller after the coach posted a disappointing 6-24-3 record in three seasons.[5] The Illinois athletic director, Neale Stoner, made the recommendation to terminate Moeller, a recommendation which was later approved by the university's board of trustees in an 8-1 vote.[5] Prior to the vote, Moeller met with Chancellor Cribbet and President Ikenberry and pleaded for his job. A bitter Moeller called the decision "unfair to everyone in the program."[5] Moeller also chided the decision for not coinciding with the university's educational mission.[5] Chancellor Cribbet and Stoner would later oversee the hiring of Mike White after a search that included future Illinois football coach John Mackovic as a candidate.[6]
David Wilson Eligibility Case
editDuring his chancellorship, Cribbet reluctantly oversaw another athletics dispute that would threaten Illinois' membership in the Big Ten Conference.[7] The dispute involved the eligibility of quarterback David Wilson.[7] The Big Ten had charged Illinois with misrepresentation, deception, lack of cooperation, and failing to comply with conference rules.[7] It sanctioned the Illinois athletics program with a ban in postseason competition in all sports and the loss of conference revenues.[7] Illinois football coach Mike White and Athletic Director Neale Stoner reportedly threatened to resign if the university did not defend itself against the charges.[7] The university vigorously responded with a 34-page rebuttal denying any wrongdoing.[7] Chancellor Cribbet attributed some of the problems to the university's large bureaucracy; operational staff made innocent, unintentional errors in petitions and materials that were not known to university officials.[7] He would lament: "I had high hopes of being able to make some contribution to the solution to the many troubling problems [in intercollegiate athletics] surfacing in the mass media. Now I fear I shall be known, in athletic circles, only as the chancellor who was involved in the Wilson case, a fact which truly saddens me."[7]
Selected works
edit- Property: Cases and Materials (with Corwin W. Johnson, Roger W. Findley, Ernest E. Smith, and John S. Dzienkowski) a seminal textbook now in its ninth edition.[1]
- Principles of the Law of Property (with Corwin W. Johnson) a popular textbook that spawned three editions.
- Concepts in Transition: The Search for a New Definition of Property, 1986 University of Illinois Law Review 1.
- Changing Concepts in the Law of Land Use, 50 Iowa Law Review 245 (1964).
- Condominium: Home Ownership for Megalopolis?, 61 Michigan Law Review 1207 (1963).
- Conveyancing Reform, 35 N.Y.U. Law Review 1291 (1960).
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mitchum, Robert (May 25, 2009). "John E. Cribbet, 1918-2009: Former U. of I. chancellor, law dean". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago.
- ^ Beyer, Gerry W. (May 28, 2009). "Dean John E. Cribbet dies". Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog. Retrieved Dec 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Cribbet Named Dean of Law, To Succeed Sullivan in Fall". The Daily Illini. Feb 10, 1967.
- ^ a b c d e "Cribbet, U. of I. law dean, new chancellor at Urbana". The Chicago Tribune. Dec 13, 1979. pp. B18. ProQuest 170037891.
- ^ a b c d Israel, David (Nov 21, 1979). "'We were making progress,' says bitter coach". The Chicago Tribune. pp. D1. ProQuest 172070549.
- ^ Damer, Roy (Dec 14, 1979). "White already on job as new Illinois coach". The Chicago Tribune. pp. E1. ProQuest 170084317.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kay, Linda (May 6, 1981). "Illinois disputes Big 10's findings". The Chicago Tribune. pp. C1. ProQuest 172387207.