Homer D. Babbidge Jr.

Homer Daniels Babbidge Jr. (May 18, 1925 – March 27, 1984) was an American historian who served as president of the University of Connecticut (1962–1972) and the Hartford Graduate Center (1976–1984). At age 37, he was the youngest state university president in the United States.

Early life and education Babbidge was born on May 18, 1925, in West Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a merchant sea captain and his wife. His family moved to New Haven when he was 4 years old and then to Amherst, New York, when he was 12. Babbidge graduated high school in Amherst.

Babbidge earned three degrees in history from Yale University. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1945, his master's degree in 1948, and his doctorate in 1953. His doctoral dissertation examined the founding and early years of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

Babbidge established new dental and medical schools, and began construction on an $85 million complex that became the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. Babbidge also raised faculty salaries, thereby making UConn more competitive in attracting talent.

Babbidge collected corkscrews, and with a British physician, Bernard Watney, he wrote in 1981 an authoritative work on the subject, Corkscrews for Collectors.