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Memorial University’s First Sociologist: The Dilemmas of a Bureaucratic Intellectual

Memorial University’s first sociologist, Donald willmott, was cross-appointed to the provincial government’s Department of Public welfare and the university. In addition to introducing undergraduates to the discipline of sociology he was expected to work as a part-time researcher and adviser for Public welfare. His main dilemma as a bureaucratic intellectual was choosing between the role of a fact-finder, who tended to substantiate welfare officials’ perceptions of reality, and the role of a policy adviser, who defined the job in a more ambitious manner and took the initiative of offering uninvited remedies along with “the facts.” The first option was consistent with a satisfying university career. The second option could potentially lead to a more insecure career because the role of a policy adviser at Public welfare was not institutionalized in a manner that encouraged serious thinking about policy. The experiences of Donald willmott and his wife elizabeth tell us about the nature of faculty appointments that blur the distinction between discipline research and policy research; about the way liberal Americans reacted to Newfoundland society in the 1950s; and about academic mores at Memorial University, especially the lingering influence of religion at a secular university. Before discussing Donald willmott’s years in Newfoundland, it is essential to review his family’s involvement in the social gospel movement, his childhood in China, and his American education in sociology. These experiences shaped his outlook on life and his approach to sociology.