Rufus W. Stimson

Rufus Whittaker Stimson (February 20, 1868 – May 1, 1947) was an American educator who served as the third president of the University of Connecticut (then Connecticut Agricultural College) from 1901 to 1908. Stimson was a major influence on the field of agricultural education.

Early life and education Stimson was born on February 20, 1868, on a farm near Palmer, Massachusetts. His parents were Horace W. Stimson and Harriet A. Hunt.

Stimson graduated from Palmer High School and attended Colby College for two years. He continued his studies at Harvard University, where he studied philosophy under William James and earned his bachelor's degree in 1895 and his master's degree, both in philosophy, in 1896. According to college historian Walter Stemmons, Stimson's tenure was "an era of good feeling and growth." Similarly, the Daily Campus student newspaper editorialized that "during his term of service the institution has made commendable progress."

State support and student enrollment increased during Stimson's tenure. Annual state appropriations rose and in 1905, the Connecticut General Assembly voted $60,000 to build Storrs Hall (a men's dormitory) and another $50,000 to construct a horticultural building and greenhouses. In 1919, Stimson published a textbook entitled Vocational Agricultural Education by Home Projects.

In 1911, Stimson became state supervisor of agricultural education for Massachusetts. He served in this position until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 and duly retired in 1938. The following year, the U.S. Office of Education hired him to write a history of agricultural education, giving him the title of research specialist.

Stimson authored more than eighteen articles in the Agricultural Education Magazine and served as associate editor of the Vocational Education Magazine during the 1920s. He was president of the American Association for the Advancement of Agricultural Teaching (1913–1914) and vice president of Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations (1906–1907). He traveled across the United States to deliver seminars on agricultural education. He also campaigned unsuccessfully to admit girls to the National FFA Organization.

Helen Stimson coached the first season of the UConn Huskies women's basketball team, which went 2-0 in its first season playing against Willimantic High School.

Rufus Stimson died at the Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on May 1, 1947. He was survived by his sister and four brothers, as well as many nieces and nephews.