Harry R. Wellman; Led UC System After Kerr’s Firing

Harry R. Wellman, who filled in as acting president of the University of California after Clark Kerr was fired in 1967, has died. He was 98.

Wellman died at his home Monday after a long illness, UC officials said.

In a statement, Kerr called Wellman a “quiet facilitator, who was able, by friendly persuasion, to impact the university in a quiet, effective way.”

Wellman began working for the university in 1925 as an extension specialist in agricultural economics. He later became a professor of agricultural economics and director of the Giannini Foundation at UC Berkeley. In 1952, Gov. Earl Warren appointed him to the state Board of Agriculture.

When Kerr was appointed UC president in 1959, Wellman was vice president for agriculture. There had been speculation that Wellman might get the president’s job then.

Wellman retired in 1966, but returned a year later when the UC Board of Regents fired Kerr for being too soft on student protesters.

The acting president, who served for about a year, helped smooth a difficult situation, said Loren Furtado, former assistant vice president for budget.

“The university was greatly traumatized by the firing of Kerr,” he said. “‘Wellman helped bring about tranquillity and alleviate tension.”

Memorial services for Wellman will be held Aug. 30 at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley.