Legacy
Frank Fraser Potter

“Once in a generation, there appears a man who has the power to make the intelligent love learning and the less intelligent respect it. Such a one [was] Frank Potter.”
— John H. Binns (’16)
(from the Washington State Review, Summer 1959)

IF THERE IS ever debate about what is truly important and lasting about a university, one might circumvent much discussion with a review of quotes about Professor Frank Fraser Potter by former students. Their sentiment is testament to the power of a professor to change lives.

Certainly these former students would tell you a faculty member such as Potter was the epitome of “world class, face to face” decades before it became Washington State University’s central theme. And in most accounts of his greatness, not too many lines of copy are written until the name Irene Potter appears. Irene, Potter’s wife, is mentioned repeatedly in historic accounts of the couple’s time at Washington State. They were the dynamic duo of academe. How else would you describe two people who were legendary for their preparation of students applying for Rhodes Scholarships? The couple’s passion for and commitment to academic excellence at WSU were focused on students. They dedicated their home, just off campus, as a zone where intellectual conversation and debate were the daily norm. So dedicated were the Potters that they bequeathed their B Street house to the University so that in this way, even after their deaths, they are still supporting students.*

In 1961, two years after Potter’s death, the Potter Memorial Lectureship was initiated by an anonymous gift from a former student. Through the series, WSU students and faculty and residents of the Palouse can hear leading philosophers speaking on such thought-provoking topics as the 1986 talk by Gregory Vlastos, professor emeritus, Princeton University, “Was Plato a Feminist?” (Since 1983, the Potter Memorial Lectureship also has been supported with funds left to the University by the Potters.) The 42nd annual Potter Memorial Lecture, “Restoring Landscapes of Memory,” was presented by Andrew Light (New York University).

In observance of the lecture series’ 25th anniversary, five of the Rhodes Scholars whom the Potters prepared returned to campus to honor their mentor’s memory. All who studied and worked with Potter were invited to submit their memories. Their words paint the picture of a world-class university experience.*

“The intellectual stimulation of going to the Potters’ was the springboard which made it possible for me to go to Oxford.”
— Chemist Paul Craven ( ’47)

“Potter’s method was one of questioning, to get students to think for themselves, and that is one of the hardest things to do in education.”
— Richard Thompson ( ’55)

“They attracted individuals with an interest in political and intellectual matters and then drew this out in the most wonderful way by assigning papers to be delivered and discussed.”
— Economist Robert Clower ( ’48)

“Professor and Mrs. Potter represented a model of intellectual life and happiness.”
— Phillip M. Phibbs ( ’53) (Rotary Scholar)

Editor’s notes:
Legacy is a new, permanent addition to ask. magazine. In each issue, we will acknowledge someone who has had a truly transformational impact on the College of Liberal Arts.

Footnotes:
*Background for this article, including quotes, came in part from the winter 1986-87 issue of Cornucopia, formerly the magazine of the College of Arts and Sciences. This academic year, the Potter House is home to two visiting scholars in the Educational Partnership Program with Yunnan University in China. Want to know more about real estate gifts and how they benefit the college? Contact Jody Opheim at 509-335-3854 or by e-mail, opheim@wsu.edu, and she will be happy to send you information.