Dates

• Existence: 1827 - 1910

Biographical Information

Stevens was born in Windham, Maine in 1827. He received his early education from the Friends Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island. He taught at the same institution for five years after graduation. In 1852, Stevens joined faculty of the Farmer's Institute of Tippecanoe County. This was a Society of Friend's educational institution established in 1851; and the earliest institution of higher education in the county. The Farmer's Institute library, the largest in the area, was made up of books needed for the school's curriculum and the Western Literary Union. The Western Literary Union was the local literary society. From there he taught in two schools in Richmond, Indiana; including the Friends Boarding School which later became Earlham College. He then became the Director of Observatory; Professor of Mathematics at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania from 1858 to 1862 and later the superintendent of schools of Salem, Ohio for nine years, where he also taught mathematics. When he assumed his duties as the librarian at Purdue University; he also took on the role of registrar. In 1883, Stevens became a professor of mathematics and later the head of the department. From 1885 to 1889 he was a member of the Board of Trustees. He was well liked and highly respected by his students. Interestingly, early issues of the Debris mention only one earned degree; an A.M. from Earlham College in 1882, which he received two years after he joined Purdue University.

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