PARLIN, HANSON TUFTS (1879-1951). Hanson Tufts Parlin, university professor and administrator, was born on November 7, 1879, at Leadville, Colorado, the son of Hanson Tufts and Mary Goodwin (Hall) Parlin. He earned a B.A. degree in 1904 and an M.A. degree in 1906 at the University of Colorado. In 1908, after receiving a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas as an instructor in English. In 1923 he was promoted to full professor, and for twenty-one years he was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. One of his most important innovations at the university was the Plan II degree program, which was designed to give a select group of students a broad liberal arts education rather than a specialized degree. Parlin was made dean emeritus in September 1950 and retired at the end of that year. He was an Episcopalian, a Democrat, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Delta Tau Delta; he also served as president of the Austin Community Concerts for fifteen years. He died in Austin on February 3, 1951, and was buried in Denver, Colorado. Parlin Hall, on the University of Texas campus, was named in his honor in 1968.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Vertical Files, Austin History Center. Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin. Who Was Who in America, Vol. 3.