Template:Did you know nominations/William J. Devlin
- The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.
The result was: promoted by TheAwesomeHwyh 19:48, 31 December 2019 (UTC)
| DYK toolbox |
|---|
William J. Devlin
William J. Devlin circa 1919
- ... that in 1922, William J. Devlin (pictured) proposed the creation of what would later become the Carroll School of Management at Boston College? Source: "Similarly, in 1922, a proposal was drafted for what would eventually become the College of Business Administration." ("William J. Devlin, SJ, President's Office Records: 1915-1930 (bulk 1919-1925)")
- ALT1: ... that William J. Devlin (pictured) was called the "builder of super-structures" at Boston College despite his fundraising campaign falling short of its goal?
- Reviewed: 1929 New Zealand cyclone
Created by Ergo Sum (talk). Self-nominated at 18:23, 12 December 2019 (UTC).
But I don't find this very hooky at all. Stated simply: "WJD proposed creating what became the Business School" lacks all surprise and doesn't have broad interest. It's what college presidents do. Perhaps: College President WJD's fundraising campaign fell far short of its goal, but he still got the nickname "builder of the super-structures"? (Though who ever used that "nickname" is unclear from the source.) Or: College President WJD's fundraising campaign fell far short of its goal, but he still got his name on a building? Or: College President WJD's fundraising campaign fell far short of its goal, but he still built X, Y, and Z? The dispute over recruiting a football player, if beefed up in the article, is far more interesting overall, and it would be of interest to a broad audience as a DYK should be. It's a terrific anecdote. Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 16:46, 13 December 2019 (UTC)
- @Bmclaughlin9: How about the alt1 I've proposed? Ergo Sum 17:26, 13 December 2019 (UTC)
- The suggestions for hooky-ness do include "unusual nicknames", but this one is more humdrum than unusual. He may not have done anything unexpected. However this bit surprised me: non-Catholic politicians supported the fundraising. All from MA, but not all Catholic. Coolidge! (I still think the fundraising shortfall contrasted with his achievements and reputation are your best hooky possibilities, fitting squarely under the category "unlikely juxtaposition".) Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 18:45, 13 December 2019 (UTC)
- @Bmclaughlin9: I'm hesitant because that's rather misleading. There's no suggestion that his reputation derives from the fundraising campaign; on the contrary, it comes from the building. So, to have a hook that describes his reputation despite the campaign would be misleading. Ergo Sum 00:46, 14 December 2019 (UTC)
- So strike the word reputation from what I wrote. Buildings despite fundraising shortfall is sufficient. That’s my last suggestion. Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 02:55, 14 December 2019 (UTC)
- @Bmclaughlin9: How about now? Ergo Sum 06:28, 14 December 2019 (UTC)
- So strike the word reputation from what I wrote. Buildings despite fundraising shortfall is sufficient. That’s my last suggestion. Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 02:55, 14 December 2019 (UTC)
- @Bmclaughlin9: I'm hesitant because that's rather misleading. There's no suggestion that his reputation derives from the fundraising campaign; on the contrary, it comes from the building. So, to have a hook that describes his reputation despite the campaign would be misleading. Ergo Sum 00:46, 14 December 2019 (UTC)
