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=                        Edwin_Osgood_Grover                         =
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                            Introduction
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Edwin Osgood Grover (June 4, 1870 - November 8, 1965) was an American
publisher and educator whose contributions to Rollins College enhanced
its standing and reputation during his twenty-year tenure. He was
active in the Winter Park, Florida, community and made significant
contributions to the African-American community and to the creation of
Mead Garden.


                      Early life and education
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Edwin  Grover was born in Mantorville, Minnesota, on June 4, 1870, and
grew up in New England, where his father was a Congregational
minister. He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont and
worked his way through Dartmouth College, where he played football as
a freshman and ran track for all four years. He wrote articles for
'The Boston Globe' and edited the Dartmouth literary magazine for his
last two years at the College.

Because of his friendship with the poet, Richard Hovey, who published
"Men of Dartmouth,", Grover edited Hovey's "Dartmouth Lyrics" and
later edited the popular favorite, "The Dartmouth Song Book."

Graduating from Dartmouth in 1894, Grover attended Harvard briefly,
but soon left to "see the world." He traveled around Europe and the
Middle East on tramp steamers for nine months, boasting that he spent
less than $400 on the whole adventure.


                               Career
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Returning from his travels, he went to work as a salesman for Ginn and
Company. Transferred to Chicago after a few years, he went to work for
Rand McNally and soon started his own company, Prang Co., which
specialized in painting materials and books.

In 1926, he was appointed Professor of Books at Rollins College, in
Winter Park, Florida. Ralph Waldo Emerson had proposed such a position
in an essay in 1856, and Hamilton Holt made this his first appointment
after becoming president of Rollins in 1925. Grover taught courses on
Recreational Reading, The History of the Book, and Literary
Personalities. He established the first bookstore in Winter Park, The
Bookery, and began a publishing venture, The Angel Alley Press. His
first publication was "Psyche's Lamp," a collection of poems by Rose
Mills Power. The following year, he published a collection of works by
22 Rollins poets and began a series of pamphlets which he called "Vest
Pocket Poems."

Professor Grover assumed many positions at Rollins. He served as
Director of Libraries (1927-1929). In this capacity he attracted a
number of special collections, most notably a considerable collection
of material by and about Walt Whitman. With Hamilton Holt he began
"The Animated Magazine," which he served as publisher for twenty
years. He was Vice-President of Rollins from 1938-1951.

His sister, Eulalie Grover, was the author of many children's books,
including the "Sunbonnet" and "Overall" series. Her books sold over
four million copies.

Grover retired from the Rollins faculty in 1947.


                        Community activities
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In addition to his many contributions to Rollins College, he was
active in the First Congregational Church of Winter Park and, with his
wife Mertie, established the Welbourne Day Nursery for the children of
working African-American mothers. When his wife died in an automobile
accident in 1936, he invited "flower gifts" in the form of
contributions to the Hannibal Square Library. This led to the
formation of the Hannibal Square Associates and the building of the
first community center on the West Side of Winter Park. He also raised
money for the DePugh Nursing Home.

His final gift to the community was putting together the land for Mead
Garden. These forty-five acres continue to be a natural environment
for nature enjoyment and study.


                           External links
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*
* [http://www.groverprofessorofbooks.com/ Edwin Osgood Grover and the
Animated Magazine]


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