Charles Mills Gayley

Charles Mills Gayley (February 22, 1858 – July 25, 1932) was a professor of English, the Classics, and Academic Dean of the University of California at Berkeley between the fall of 1889 and July 1932.

Biography

Gayley was born in Shanghai to Irish-born American Presbyterian missionaries. In 1862, Charles' father (Rev. Samuel Rankin Gayley) became infected with cholera and died. Young Gayley's father was only 34 when he was buried on a hill overlooking the Straits of Pe-chi-li, China. Gayley soon relocated to Ireland with his mother, Sarah, where he was educated at Blackheath school and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Charles' stepfather, Rev. Andrew Brown, was pastor of the Presbyterian church at Hollymount, Ireland. Gayley earned his Doctorate at the University of Michigan and briefly served there as an Assistant Professor of English and Latin. While at Michigan, Gayley: (a) composed the Michigan college songs, "The Yellow and Blue" and "Laudes atque Carmina"; (b) developed a love of Shakespeare and poetry; (c) studied one year abroad at the University of Giessen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany (emphasizing German, medieval European history, and Modern French History); and (c) accepted what he regarded as a call (within ten minutes of receiving it) to teach in California.

At Berkeley, Gayley was an author, scholar, orator, and widely acclaimed literary critic. He served as University Examiner, Head of the English Department, Dean of Faculties, visiting professor at Oxford, and was a Director of the Commercial Bank of Berkeley. Occasionally, Gayley's lectures were relocated to the outdoor Greek theatre to accommodate overflow students and guests. A persistent advocate of education and idea-sharing, Gayley was instrumental in the development of the University Extension, the College of Commerce, building the Senior Hall, the Stephens Union (on the model of the Oxford Union), bringing Psi Upsilon to Berkeley, and establishing the student volunteers' Ambulance Corps. In 1895, Dr. Gayley composed the famous song "Golden Bear" which begins, "Oh, have you seen the heavens blue, heavens blue", to commemorate the victorious return of the first track team sent east by the University. The song contributed to the selection of the 'golden bear' as the mascot of athletic teams. A staunch patriot, Gayley was also a promoter of US involvement with World War I.

Gayley married Sallie Pickett Harris, daughter of Rt. Rev. Samuel Smith Harris, D.D., LL.D. (1841–1888), who was the second Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Michigan. Gayley first danced with Sallie at the 1888 Ann Arbor "Junior Hop", when their engagement was already rumored. When they met again, at the wedding of Lois Angell and Andrew McLaughlin in 1890, Gayley swore that "he would marry that young lady". The two were married a year later. One of the ushers of the religious ceremony of union was James R. Angell, son of Michigan's President Angell, who later himself became president of Yale University. On November 27, 1892, Gayley was confirmed at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Berkeley. He immediately began assisting with readings, scripture lessons, and occasionally directed an entire service. When it was known beforehand that Gayley was to read the lessons, University students flocked to St. Mark's. His religious faith was profound. Gayley initiated the Berkeley Canterbury Club as a forum to discuss the application of Christian principles to everyday life; and his academic course, The Bible in English Literature, was popular among students. Gayley died at his home in Berkeley on July 25, 1932.

In 1943, former student Benjamin P. Kurtz authored the professor's biography, Charles Mills Gayley: The Glory of a Lighted Mind.

Early life

Gayley was the eldest son of Rev. Samuel Rankin Gayley and Sarah Sophia Mills. Through his maternal grandmother, Gayley could trace his ancestry to the Mayflower through Thomas Rogers. His father, the son of a Scottish-Irish farmer, had emigrated to the USA due to the Great Famine. Hearing a call, he became a missionary in China, despite warnings that his constitution may not withstand the conditions. Samuel and Sarah were married in August 1856, and sailed for China some two months later in October. They arrived in early 1857, barely 119 days later.

In 1904, Gayley, along with Clement Calhoun Young, published The Principles and Progress of English Poetry. The book was published and distributed by the Macmillan Company. In his honor, streets on the UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles campuses are named after him, as is Mount Gayley in California's Sierra Nevada.

Publications Classic Myths in English Literature, 1893. Representative English Comedies, vol. i. 1903, vol. ii. 1913, vol. iii. 1914 The Star of Bethlehem, 1903. Poetry of the People: Ballads, Lays of Heroism, and National Songs with Martin C. Flaherty, 1903. The Principles and Progress of English Poetry with Clement Calhoun Young, 1904. Plays of our Forefathers, 1907. Idols of Education, 1910. The Classic Myths in English Literature and in Art, 1911 Beaumont the Dramatist, 1914. Shakespeare and the Founders of Liberty in America, 1917.