Elspeth Rostow
Encyclopedia
Elspeth Rostow was born as Elspeth Vaughan Davies in Manhattan
. She graduated from Barnard College
in 1938. She received a master's degree in history from Radcliffe College
in 1939 and a master's degree from Cambridge University in 1949.
, she worked for the Office of Strategic Services in Washington, analyzing dispatches from the French Resistance. She had met Walt Rostow at a Paris seminar in 1937. After their marriage a decade later, the couple lived in Geneva for three years.
Elspeth Rostow was a force at U.T. from 1969 until her death. She was initially drawn to Austin with her husband, Walt Whitman Rostow
by the research value of Lyndon B. Johnson
’s presidential papers. (Walt had served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and was writing a book.) She served as dean of both the LBJ School of Public Affairs and UT’s Division of General and Comparative Studies.
As dean, she recruited professors such as Barbara Jordan
. Despite her administrative ability, she considered herself first to be a teacher, eventually working as a professor for over half a century. She had remarked, "I enjoy the simple act of teaching. It's not transmitting information, it's enticing people into the world of ideas."
In 1996, The Alcalde
described Rostow as having "never a hair nor a thread nor a word out of place. She is quietly intense, notoriously elegant, eloquent, proper, and continually self-deprecating."
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. She graduated from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in 1938. She received a master's degree in history from Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
in 1939 and a master's degree from Cambridge University in 1949.
World War II
While teaching at Barnard in 1939, she was among the founders of American studies as an academic discipline and later authored the book, "European Economic Reconstruction" (1948). During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she worked for the Office of Strategic Services in Washington, analyzing dispatches from the French Resistance. She had met Walt Rostow at a Paris seminar in 1937. After their marriage a decade later, the couple lived in Geneva for three years.
University of Texas
She brought to the University of Texas ("U.T.") impressive academic credentials and internationally-recognized expertise in the area of public policy. Among her other presidential appointments, President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, which she later chaired.Elspeth Rostow was a force at U.T. from 1969 until her death. She was initially drawn to Austin with her husband, Walt Whitman Rostow
Walt Whitman Rostow
Walt Whitman Rostow was a United States economist and political theorist who served as Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to U.S. President Lyndon B...
by the research value of Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
’s presidential papers. (Walt had served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and was writing a book.) She served as dean of both the LBJ School of Public Affairs and UT’s Division of General and Comparative Studies.
As dean, she recruited professors such as Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan was an American politician who was both a product and a leader, of the Civil Rights movement. She was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives...
. Despite her administrative ability, she considered herself first to be a teacher, eventually working as a professor for over half a century. She had remarked, "I enjoy the simple act of teaching. It's not transmitting information, it's enticing people into the world of ideas."
1990s
In 1991, she co-founded The Austin Project, a comprehensive community investment program in children and young people. Her husband once said, "She's extraordinarily concerned with other people. She is an administrator with a green thumb. When she runs something, it flourishes."In 1996, The Alcalde
The Alcalde
The Alcalde has been the alumni magazine of The University of Texas at Austin since 1913, and is published by the university's alumni association, the Texas Exes....
described Rostow as having "never a hair nor a thread nor a word out of place. She is quietly intense, notoriously elegant, eloquent, proper, and continually self-deprecating."