All Scholars

William Manly was a Hellenist who, like both his grandfather and father, distinguished himself as a scholar and educator. After receiving his master's degree in 1890, he was appointed professor of Greek at the University of Missouri, a position he held for nearly 40 years until his death. In 1900-1, while at the American School in Athens, he excavated the theater and some ship houses at Oeniadae with L. L. Forman, Benjamin Powell, and Joshua M. Sears. He also had the opportunity to hear Wilhelm Dörpfeld lecture on several occasions. Manly's monograph Ithaca or Leucas? is a survey of then current opinions on Homeric geography and ultimately his own critical reaction to Dörpfeld's views. In 1904-5 Manly played a prominent role in the creation of CAMWS and the Classical Journal. Through a series of letters dating to these years Manly set the groundwork for the first meeting and formal incorporation of CAMWS on 5-6 May 1905. He served as the organization's first president and was vice-president of the Missouri delegation of CAMWS from 1906 to 1911. Manly also had an avid interest in both ancient and modern athletics and was one of the organizers of the Missouri Valley Conference, serving for several years as the secretary of this intercollegiate athletic organization.