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Stafford resident Jim Melnick is the author of the book 'America's Oldest Corporation and First CEO: Harvard and Henry Dunster.' |
Harvard University is best known as one of the world's most prestigious academic institutions, but it's also a financial juggernaut.
The Massachusetts school's endowment has recently been pegged at $35 billion. But Harvard, founded in 1636, wasn't always the powerhouse that it is today. Its first president, Henry Dunster, helped the school scrape by, and in 1650 formed a corporation that still exists.
That means Harvard was America's first corporation (126 years older than the United States itself) and Dunster its first president and CEO, writes Stafford County's Jim Melnick in a new book titled "America's Oldest Corporation and First CEO: Harvard and Henry Dunster."
Melnick, who has lived in Stafford since 1993, got a master's degree from Harvard in 1977. He focused on Russian-area studies and went on to analyze Soviet/Russian affairs for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Melnick retired in 2006 as a colonel in intelligence in the U.S. Army Reserve, and now works in the private sector for a Dallas-based risk-management company on issues involving cyber security.
Melnick's Harvard experience had a profound effect on him. He founded a group called the Henry Dunster Association to promote the man's memory and legacy. Melnick, who lives near Hartwood, plans a full biography on Dunster.
The Free Lance-Star interviewed Melnick about his book, which was published in January and can be purchased from a variety of sources, including ama zon.com. Autographed copies are available by contacting Melnick at
Email: admin@henrydunster.org. Below are excerpts of the interview.
What brought you to Stafford County?
We came here from Northern Virginia to have a better life for our children and to escape what I came to regard, during the years that I worked at the Pentagon, as the plastic-culture environment of the D.C. area.
When/why did you start the Henry Dunster Association?
I began the Henry Dunster Association as a means of honoring Dunster's heritage and to make his name better known among those who may have never heard of him. He had such an enormous impact on our early American institutions. The other impetus was the 400th anniversary of his birth next year in 2009.
What are some of the things you most admire about Dunster?
His courage, integrity and enormous dedication. He set the standards for early American higher education; he was the trailblazer for the first American corporation. In my opinion, he has never received the true measure of honor and remembrance that America owes him as a "founding father" to two of our most important American institutions: the university and the corporation.
So you plan a full biography about Dunster?
I have been collecting materials and working on the biography for many years, ever since I first became very interested in Dunster's life and contributions. However, along the way, I also realized a separate book on a particular aspect of Dunster's contributions--the creation of the first American corporation and all the implications of that--was sorely needed or else might be lost for readers if it was simply buried in a larger biography. The plan right now is to get the biography out sometime in 2009, but I am not sure how soon that will happen.
How did you get interested in Dunster?
I first became interested when I began to read about early Harvard history. I then became involved in a project to have Dunster's grave better marked. I succeeded in getting Harvard's president to take an interest, which resulted in a modern plaque being placed on Dunster's grave site. I later thought of doing a book.
How did your Harvard experience shape you?
I was at Harvard from 1975 to 1977. Harvard further developed in me a deep appreciation of scholarship in its highest sense and a desire to pursue excellence--qualities that were also very important to Dunster. It was also while I was at Harvard that I met my wife, Karen. We recently celebrated our 30th anniversary and have four wonderful kids.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope readers will begin to understand and appreciate Dunster's great contributions to America. I hope that businessmen and [business]women and CEOs will see some of the great principles that he laid down to make the Harvard Corporation successful as an enterprise. I also discuss various aspects of education and the receipt of donations at Harvard today, including some areas where, in my opinion, Harvard has forgotten or ignored some earlier core principles.
Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405
Email: bfreehling@freelancestar.com
