Gardner Leland Green: President 1926-1944
With the addition of Berry Junior College in 1926, G. Leland Green assumed the responsibilities of president of the college. Dr. Green, who had been serving as principal of the Berry Schools since 1920, was a logical choice for the presidency.
A native of Franklin, Vt., Dr. Green graduated from the University of Vermont, Montpelier, in 1906 with a B.S. in agriculture. He taught at Thetford Academy, Vermont’s oldest secondary school, from 1906-07 and then served as principal of several other high schools in Vermont. He became principal of the Vermont State School of Agriculture in 1911 and took a brief leave of absence to serve the AEF-YMCA in France during World War I. After Dr. Green returned to Vermont to resume his duties as principal, Martha Berry contacted him about serving as principal of the Berry schools. Dr. Green had no intention of leaving Vermont and declined to visit the schools. Martha Berry continued to pursue him for the position, even visiting Dr. and Mrs. Green in Vermont. Her persistence paid off in 1920 when Dr. Green and his family moved to Georgia.
Martha Berry asked Dr. Green to oversee the hiring of faculty and day-to-day operations while she took care of fund raising. He did this admirably and was awarded an honorary Ped.D. in 1928 from The University of Georgia and an honorary Ed.D. from the University of Vermont in 1936. Dr. Green stepped down from the presidency in 1944, two years after Martha Berry’s death. At that time, the trustees combined the positions of director and president, and Dr. Green became the head of the department of education. He continued to serve in that capacity until his retirement in 1954. He remained in Rome and was active in the Berry community until his death in March 1971.