Being Lucky: Reminiscences and Reflections

Being Lucky: Reminiscences and Reflections, The Complete Edition presents legendary Indiana University president Herman B Wells’ autobiography as he originally intended. Painstakingly restored from original archival materials and featuring over a dozen fascinating vignettes and talks that were cut from the original edition, Being Lucky is a must read for Hoosiers everywhere.

In this absorbing autobiography, Herman B Wells recalls his small-town childhood, the strong influence of his parents, and his pioneering work with Indiana banks during the Great Depression. His first contact with Indiana University was as an undergraduate in 1921, when the still provincial school had fewer than 3,000 students. At the end of his 25-year tenure as president in 1962, IU had gained an international reputation and a student body that would soon exceed 30,000. Wells’ reflections on his years as university president are both lighthearted and illuminating. They describe in candied detail how he approached the job, his observations on effective administration, his thoughts on academic freedom and tenure, his approach to student and alumni relations, and his views on the role of the university as a cultural center. Also included are his fifty maxims for young college presidents. Finally Wells discusses the national and international service that helped shape his presidency and the university.

Being Lucky is a nourishing brew of the memories, advice, wit, and wisdom of a remarkable man.