Arthur E. Bestor
Encyclopedia
Arthur Eugene Bestor was an educator who served with distinction as President of Chautauqua Institution
in Chautauqua, New York
from 1915 to 1944. Bestor was a national force for adult education
and under his twenty-five year administration, the Institution grew from an assembly for teachers and ministers with modest facilities to a wide-ranging summer program with a symphony orchestra, an opera
company, a resident repertory theater company, and celebrated lecturers.
Arthur Bestor was married to Jeanette Lemon, and their three children who survived to adulthood were Arthur E. Bestor, Jr. (after his father's death, he dropped Eugene and Jr. from his name), Mary Francis Bestor Cram, and Charles Lemon Bestor. Arthur E. Bestor Jr. was a distinguished professor of American intellectual and constitutional history, and an important critic of American educational practices. Mary Francis Bestor Cram was a leader of lay organizations in the American Baptist Church and the Young Women's Christian Association, serving as president of the U.S. organization. Charles Lemon Bestor is a composer of contemporary classical music, a music educator, and professor of music (emeritus) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Chautauqua Institution
The Chautauqua Institution is a non-profit adult education center and summer resort located on 750 acres in Chautauqua, New York, 17 miles northwest of Jamestown in the western part of New York State...
in Chautauqua, New York
Chautauqua, New York
Chautauqua is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, U.S. . The population was 4,666 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. The traditional meaning remains 'bag tied in the middle'...
from 1915 to 1944. Bestor was a national force for adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
and under his twenty-five year administration, the Institution grew from an assembly for teachers and ministers with modest facilities to a wide-ranging summer program with a symphony orchestra, an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
company, a resident repertory theater company, and celebrated lecturers.
Arthur Bestor was married to Jeanette Lemon, and their three children who survived to adulthood were Arthur E. Bestor, Jr. (after his father's death, he dropped Eugene and Jr. from his name), Mary Francis Bestor Cram, and Charles Lemon Bestor. Arthur E. Bestor Jr. was a distinguished professor of American intellectual and constitutional history, and an important critic of American educational practices. Mary Francis Bestor Cram was a leader of lay organizations in the American Baptist Church and the Young Women's Christian Association, serving as president of the U.S. organization. Charles Lemon Bestor is a composer of contemporary classical music, a music educator, and professor of music (emeritus) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.