Sypherd, Wilbur Owen, 1877-1955

Wilber Owen Sypherd was a former professor of English literature and university administrator at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, from 1906 to 1947.

From the description of Wilber Owens Sypherd papers, 1939-1953. (University of Delaware Library). WorldCat record id: 663904244

Wilber Owen Sypherd was a former professor of English literature and university administrator at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, from 1906 to 1947.

Wilbur Owen Sypherd was born on June 28, 1877 in Cecil County, Maryland. He entered Delaware College in 1893 and was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts after three years. After serving for two years as principal of a grammar school at Port Penn, Delaware, Sypherd entered the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a second Bachelor of Arts in 1900. In 1901 he earned a masters degree and in 1906 he was awarded the degree Doctor of Philosophy, both from Harvard University. From 1901 to 1903 he taught English as an instructor at the University of Wisconsin.

Wilbur Owen Sypherd returned to Delaware College in 1906 as Professor of English and Chairman of the English Department. He served in these roles until 1944, when he became acting president of the University. He was acting president until 1946, when, in honor of his service to the University of Delaware, he was named president by the Board of Trustees. In 1947 he retired, receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Delaware. Dr. Sypherd died in 1955. Dr. Sypherd was the first chairman of the Division of Graduate Studies at Delaware, serving from 1936–1944. He was a prime mover in the project to create a Student Center. It was during his administration and with his support that the transition from coordinate colleges for men and women to a co-educational university was effected in 1944.

Books written by Dr. Sypherd include The English Bible (1921), Studies in Chaucer's House of Fame (1907), A Handbook of English for Engineers (1913), The Book of Books (1944), The Literature of the English Bible (1938), and Jephthah and His Daughter (1948). Dr. Sypherd's scholarly interests included Geoffrey Chaucer; The English Bible; Robert Browning; technical English; the Biblical figure Jephthah and his daughter; and literary curses through the ages. Several of the manuscripts in this collection reflect these interests.

"Fifty Years at the University of Delaware" by W. O. Sypherd. Information sheets available in the files of the University of Delaware Archives. "Remarks by President Perkins at the Dedication of the Student Center...and Sypherd, October 25, 1958." University of Delaware Archives.

From the guide to the Wilber Owens Sypherd papers, 1939–1953, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)