Bettis Garside
Encyclopedia
Bettis Alston Garside better known during his life as B.A. Garside, was an author, an executive for several philanthropic organizations focused on China, and an educator.
and spent most of his early life in the state, receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma
. After service in the U.S. Navy during World War I, Garside served as the Stringtown high school principal and then received his master's degree from Columbia University
in 1922.
. He studied Mandarin
until 1923, when he became an education professor at Cheeloo University
in Jinan
. He served in that role until 1926.
. In his first year in the post, Garside helped eleven Christian colleges in China reopen after they had shut due to political turmoil within the Kuomintang
(KMT). Earlier that year, Communist influence in the KMT created conditions leading to shuttering of several of the institutions.
In October 1932, a new organization, the Associated Boards for Christian Colleges of China (ABCCC) was formed to focus on the interests of Christian colleges in China. Garside served as Executive Secretary of the new organization, a position he held until 1941. At the ABCCC, Garside took upon the role of promoting information about the colleges, which in the 1932-1933 academic year had combined enrollments of 5,400 students and endowments of US$12 million.
In 1935, Garside received an honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters
degree from College of the Ozarks
.
By the time of the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War
in 1937, 11 of the 12 member institutions of the ABCCC were in the war zone. Garside spoke widely to encourage the American public to boycott Japanese goods to help stop the war, which had prompted several of the colleges to relocate. Later in the war, in 1940, Garside led fundraising efforts for the members of the ABCCC, which had then grown to 13 colleges. In that year, over 7,700 students attended the schools, several of which had moved because of the conflict. Garside spearheaded a campaign to raise US$250,000 for the schools.
, Robert Sproul
, Wendell Willkie
, John D. Rockefeller III, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., David O. Selznick
, and Thomas Lamont. Eleanor Roosevelt
served as honorary chairman. This board chose Garside as the executive director, and he set out to raise the money needed to help the refugees from the war.
United China Relief was the largest philanthropic effort to aid the Chinese people up to that time. This organization, which later became known as United Service to China, raised over US$50 million in donations. Garside's skill in fundraising was shown by the receipt of over $500,000 by June 1941, a mere three months after the launch of the original campaign seeking $5,000,000. From 1941-1967, Garside served in various executive capacities with both organzitions.
In 1959, Garside and Lowell Thomas
organized the American Emergency Committee for Tibet
an Refugees. Garside served on this committee until 1970.
Garside was a strong supporter of Nationalist China
, serving on the Committee for Free China and One Million Against Admission of Communist China to the UN. Garside received the Order of Brilliant Star and the Order of Auspicious Clouds from the Republic of China
.
. The second was his memoirs, Within The Four Seas, published in 1985.
Early life
Garside was born in Stringtown, OklahomaStringtown, Oklahoma
Stringtown is a town in Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 396 at the 2000 census. It is the second largest town in Atoka County.-Geography:Stringtown is located at ....
and spent most of his early life in the state, receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. After service in the U.S. Navy during World War I, Garside served as the Stringtown high school principal and then received his master's degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1922.
Life in China
In 1922, Garside left on a Presbyterian mission to ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He studied Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
until 1923, when he became an education professor at Cheeloo University
Cheeloo University
Cheeloo University was a university in China, established by Hunter Corbett American Presbyterian, and other English Baptist, Anglican, and Canadian Presbyterian mission agencies in early 1900 in China.-History:...
in Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
. He served in that role until 1926.
Work on Chinese education
From 1927-1932, Garside served as secretary of the China Union Universities office in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In his first year in the post, Garside helped eleven Christian colleges in China reopen after they had shut due to political turmoil within the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
(KMT). Earlier that year, Communist influence in the KMT created conditions leading to shuttering of several of the institutions.
In October 1932, a new organization, the Associated Boards for Christian Colleges of China (ABCCC) was formed to focus on the interests of Christian colleges in China. Garside served as Executive Secretary of the new organization, a position he held until 1941. At the ABCCC, Garside took upon the role of promoting information about the colleges, which in the 1932-1933 academic year had combined enrollments of 5,400 students and endowments of US$12 million.
In 1935, Garside received an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
degree from College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian liberal-arts college, with its campus at Point Lookout near Branson and Hollister, Missouri, United States. It is south of Springfield on a campus, overlooking Lake Taneycomo...
.
By the time of the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
in 1937, 11 of the 12 member institutions of the ABCCC were in the war zone. Garside spoke widely to encourage the American public to boycott Japanese goods to help stop the war, which had prompted several of the colleges to relocate. Later in the war, in 1940, Garside led fundraising efforts for the members of the ABCCC, which had then grown to 13 colleges. In that year, over 7,700 students attended the schools, several of which had moved because of the conflict. Garside spearheaded a campaign to raise US$250,000 for the schools.
Chinese relief efforts and support for Nationalist China
In March 1941, the ABCCC became part of United China Relief, a new organization which brought together several different philanthropic organizations operating in China. Other organizations joining United China Relief included the American Bureau for Medical Aid to China, the China Emergency Relief Committee, the American Committee for Chinese War Orphans, the Church Committee for China Relief, the American Committee for Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, and the China Aid Council. The new board for this organization included Pearl Buck, William Bullitt, Henry LuceHenry Luce
Henry Robinson Luce was an influential American publisher. He launched and closely supervised a stable of magazines that transformed journalism and the reading habits of upscale Americans...
, Robert Sproul
Robert Gordon Sproul
Robert Gordon Sproul was eleventh President of the University of California serving from 1930 to 1958....
, Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
, John D. Rockefeller III, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
, and Thomas Lamont. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
served as honorary chairman. This board chose Garside as the executive director, and he set out to raise the money needed to help the refugees from the war.
United China Relief was the largest philanthropic effort to aid the Chinese people up to that time. This organization, which later became known as United Service to China, raised over US$50 million in donations. Garside's skill in fundraising was shown by the receipt of over $500,000 by June 1941, a mere three months after the launch of the original campaign seeking $5,000,000. From 1941-1967, Garside served in various executive capacities with both organzitions.
In 1959, Garside and Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
organized the American Emergency Committee for Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an Refugees. Garside served on this committee until 1970.
Garside was a strong supporter of Nationalist China
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, serving on the Committee for Free China and One Million Against Admission of Communist China to the UN. Garside received the Order of Brilliant Star and the Order of Auspicious Clouds from the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
.
Published works
Garside wrote two books, both non-fiction. The first, published in 1948, was One Increasing Purpose: The Life of Henry Winters Luce, about the missionary father of Time publisher Henry LuceHenry Luce
Henry Robinson Luce was an influential American publisher. He launched and closely supervised a stable of magazines that transformed journalism and the reading habits of upscale Americans...
. The second was his memoirs, Within The Four Seas, published in 1985.