November 1, 1885 - May 2, 1980
Benjamin Mark Cherrington
Personal Data
Birth: November 1, 1885 in Gibbon, Nebraska
Death: May 2, 1980 in Denver, Colorado
Wife: Edith Harper, married June 28, 1924
Children: Anne Mary and Benjamin Mark Jr.
Education
1911 Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Nebraska
1922 Master of Arts (MA), Economics, University of California
1934 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Columbia University
1934 Doctor of Laws, (L.L.D.), University of Nebraska
1953 Doctor of Public Service, University of Denver
Employment
1905-1907 Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Adrian, Michigan
1911 High School Teacher and Coach in Omaha, Nebraska
1917 State Chapter Secretary, YMCA California
1919 Executive Secretary, Denver Student Chapter of the YMCA
1926-1951 University of Denver
Instructor, University of Denver (1926 - 1951)
Director, University of Denver's Social Science Foundation (1943)
Director, University of Denver Graduate School of International Studies
Chair, The Graduate School
Acting Chancellor, University of Denver (1943 - 1946)
1938 Organized Division of Cultural Relations in the U.S. Department of State
1944 Involved with the U.N. San Francisco Convention
1945 Co-founder of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Chair and Vice-Chair
Awards and Honors
Honored by Queen Elizabeth for his contributions to international affairs (1956)
Ben M. Cherrington Hall was built in his honor at the University of Denver to house the Graduate School of International Studies (1965)
Adult Education Council of Denver honors Benjamin Cherrington with Malcolm Wyer award (1965)
Membership-Professional Organizations
YMCA (1911 - 1926)
Phi Delta Kappa (1928)
Adult Education Council of Denver (1928 - 1942)
League of Nations (1930 - 1938)
Rotary Club of Denver (1936 - 1939)
American Association for Adult Education (1937 - 1938)
US Department of State's Division of Cultural Relations (1938)
National Education Association (1940 - 1946)
Rotary International (1942)
Founder, University of Denver Social Science Foundation (1943)
Co-founder, Interim Chair, Vice-Chair, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (founded 1945)
American Council on Education (1948 - 1949)
President, American Associate for Adult Education ( 1950-1951)
Trustee, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (36 years)
Publications
"The British labor movement in the summer of 1921, an exposition based upon seminars with its leaders and critics" (Master's Thesis, 1922)
"Changes in attitude as a result of a lecture and of reading similar materials" (1933)
"Methods of education in international attitudes" (1934)
"America's future cultural relations" (1944)
"The Social Science Foundation" (1946)
"Guide, Mountain-Plains Regional Conference on UNESCO" (1947)
"The nations meet at the ancient crossroads of the world" (1948)
"The role of higher education in world affairs" (1949)
"Twenty-fifth anniversary program" (1951)
"Radio and TV program listenership: a study of Journeys behind the news and What now in the world" (1953)
Professional Interest Areas
Social Sciences
International Relations
United Nations
Rotary Club
Adult Education
Higher Education
Cultural Relations
Major Contributions to Adult Education
Benjamin Cherrington is most noted for his international and cultural relations work at The University of Denver and with the United Nations (UNESCO), The U.S. Department of State's Division of Cultural Relations, and the League of Nations. His international work showcased his desire to create social change and world consciousness through education.
Benjamin Cherrington wrote in the Journal of Adult Education in 1939 about the shift from Authoritarian Adult Education to Democratic Adult Education. Instead of regimented conformity from authority, Democratic Adult Education employs the method of self-directed activity with free choice of subject matter and free choice in determining outcomes. In this method, spontaneity is welcomed and it is said to promote individual/critical thinking.
Additional Resources
Articles
The University of Denver Libraries has a Special Collection of "Ben Mark Cherrington" Papers. This collection (Collection #M126) contains resources from 1911 - 1952.
A detailed description of the records in this collection can be found here:
http://library1.du.edu/site/about/specialCollections/collections/m126.php
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, full PDF of "America's Future Cultural Relations" (1944)
http://ann.sagepub.com/content/235/1/77.full.pdf+html
The Journal of Social Psychology, full PDF of "Changes in Attitude as the Result of a Lecture and of Reading Similar Materials" (1933)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00224545.1933.9919340
University of California, Master of Arts in Ecoomics Thesis (1922)
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3672147;view=1up;seq=7
Photo Gallery
Omaha High School, Class of 1904: Benjamin Cherrington, Senior Class President
Featured in "The Rotarian" (1939)
Ben M. Cherrington Hall at the University of Denver (built 1965)
Video/Audio
No video/audio available.
Presentations
No presentations available.
Books
Cherrington, B. M. (1972). Methods of education in international attitudes, by B. M. Cherrington. New York, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1934. [New York, AMS Press, 1972].
Interesting Facts
Dr. Cherrington was invited to work at the newly-created Division of Cultural Relations in the U.S. Department of State by Secretary of State Cordell Hull and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
References
Cherrington, B. M. (1944). America's future cultural relations. Annals Of The American Academy Of Political & Social Science, 23577-82.
Cherrington, B. M., & Miller, L. W. (1933). Changes in attitude as a result of a lecture and of reading similar materials. The Journal Of Social Psychology, 4479-484. doi:10.1080/00224545.1933.9919340
Cherrington, B. M. (1972). Methods of education in international attitudes, by B. M. Cherrington. New York, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1934. [New York, AMS Press, 1972].
Cherrington, B. Mark. (1922). The British labor movement in the summer of 1921: an exposition based upon seminars with its leaders and critics. [Berkeley].
Fisher, S. (n.d.). Ben Mark Cherrington Papers. Retrieved from http://library1.du.edu/site/about/specialCollections/collections/m126.php
Josef Korbel School of International Studies (n.d.). About Our School - History. Retrieved from http://www.du.edu/korbel/about/history.html
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2011). The adult learner [electronic resource] : the definitive classic in adult education and human resource development / Malcolm S. Knowles, Elwood F. Holton III, Richard A. Swanson. Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier, 2011.
Ninkovich, F. A. (1980). The diplomacy of ideas : U.S. foreign policy and cultural relations, 1938-1950 / Frank A. Ninkovich. Cambridge [Eng.] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1981.
Nix, A. (1939, June). Come and Chat with the World. The Rotarian, 15-17. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=bkEEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=cherrington&f=false
Omaha High School Yearbook Committee. (1904). Omaha High School, Volume IX, p. 13. Retrieved from http://omahachsarchives.org/archive/obooks/1904.pdf
Over the Editor's Desk. (1950). Adult Education Quarterly, 1(1), 31. Retrieved from http://aeq.sagepub.com/content/1/1/31
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (n.d.). Introducing UNESCO. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco
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