Arrangement
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Administrative/Biographical History
Fr. James Petty, who was born in Portland, Maine and came to Vermont at the age of 16. He attended Saint Anne’s Academy, the Society’s secondary school in Swanton and lived with the community during his time there. He then attended Saint Michael’s. After his ordination, he returned to SMC and held many different positions. He also worked in Swanton and in Putney before returning to Saint Michael’s as president. Soon after Petty began as president, on the eve of World War II, all the men on campus between the ages of 21 and 35 registered for the draft. Students joined the military in huge numbers following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enrollment went down significantly. In an effort to remain solvent and meet the needs of the students, the College accelerated all courses so that graduation was pushed forward by a few months for the class of 1942 to almost a year for the class of 1944. All students remained in class for the summer. By 1943, both returning and new students were scarce, although again the president and administration attempted to fill the classroom with nurses from Fanny Allen Hospital nursing program. The nurses not only took classes but also lived on campus, although separated from male students by Route 15. Fr. Petty’s term ended in 1946, after he successfully maneuvered the College through the extremely difficult war period and began to prepare for the return of the veterans to campus. One of his last acts as president was to put procedures in motion for the purchase of the surplus army buildings that were to populate campus for the next decades.
