Michaelmas, William Henry Tecumseh

Graduating from Indiana University in 1921, Lawrence Wheeler, who wrote the "Indiana, our Indiana" column under the pseudonym William Henry Tecumseh Michaelmas, went on to become a noted journalist, fund-raiser and the first Executive Director of the Indiana University Foundation.

From the description of William Henry Tecumseh Michaelmas "Indiana, our Indiana" columns, 1944-1952. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 771080234

Born in Princeton, Indiana on November 25, 1898 Lawrence Wheeler was described as probably the “quintessential Hoosier.” Entering Indiana University in 1916, he quickly became one of the leaders of the student body as a member of Alpha Tau Omega, Scabbard and Blade, Sigma Delta Chi and as the writer of a widely popular column in the Indiana Daily Student under the pseudonym Ecne R. Wall. With the outbreak of the First World War, he joined the United States Army and served in the American Expeditionary Forces with Base Hospital 131. Following the end of the war, he returned to Indiana University to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1921, and in 1922 he married fellow IU alum Ruth White. Together they had two children: Lawrence Wheeler, Jr. and Jane Wheeler.

Following his graduation from the University, Wheeler joined the editorial staff of The Indianapolis Star, and shortly thereafter he moved to a career in fund-raising for a variety of colleges, churches, hospitals and other public institutions. At the request of IU President Herman B Wells in 1944, Wheeler returned to his alma mater to become the first Executive Director of the Indiana University Foundation. As the Foundation Director, Wheeler established the Ernie Pyle Memorial Fund, the Wendell Willkie Scholarship Fund, and the Lieber Memorial Fund among others, and was instrumental in securing several valuable collections for the University Library.

Following a series of health problems, in 1949 he resigned his position at the Foundation to become Director of Communications and Professor of Journalism, which included teaching courses in public relations. During this period he continued his journalistic career, authoring the regular column “Indiana, Our Indiana” for the Bloomington Star-Courier under the name William Henry Tecumseh Michaelmas and composing comedic letters of congratulation to a wide variety of individuals both public and private under the name Oscar B Burlap, an imaginary IU alumnus and owner of the Burlap Turnbuckle Manufacturing Company. Wheeler passed away at the age of 53 on November 9, 1952.

From the guide to the William Henry Tecumseh Michaelmas "Indiana, our Indiana" columns, 1944-1952, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)