Correspondence, National Honorary Fraternity, 1943-1946

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Paul E. Harrison (1896-1967), a native of Creston, Illinois, joined the staff at Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1920.  With only a two-year diploma, Harrison continued to study and in 1926 received his Bachelor of Education degree from Northern Illinois State Teachers College.  Additional study was completed in 1931 when Harrison received his master’s degree at Colorado State Teacher’s College. In 1936 Harrison organized and directed a “Laboratory of Industries” project at Northern, a specialized education workshop for seventh and eighth grade pupils.  Under Harrison’s direction, a series of booklets for the project units were written and widely used throughout the United States.  By 1951, NIU President Leslie R. Holmes chose Harrison to develop a former art colony in Oregon, Illinois, into the Lorado Taft Field Campus.  There Harrison established Northern’s pioneer curriculum in outdoor teacher’s education.  After serving forty-five years on Northern’s faculty, Harrison retired in 1965.