Sands, William B.

William Bell Sands was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1842, the only son of Samuel and Sarah B. (Innes) Sands. William's father made his careers in the printing and publishing business. From the 1830s on, Samuel Sands was the editor and publisher of the American Farmer, the dominant agricultural journal in the country. Under his leadership, the American Farmer strongly advocated the establishment of the Maryland Agricultural College (M.A.C.), and the advancement of agriculture and agricultural education in Maryland was one of Samuel Sand's chief interests. It would also be the chief interest of his son, William.

In October 1859, many of the prominent men in Maryland sent their sons to the newly established M.A.C. to be trained as gentlemen and leaders. William Sands was one of the thirty-four young men in the first class. Unlike most of the students, Sands elected to follow the classical curriculum rather than the scientific one that distinguished the new college from other American colleges.

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