Harold Bradley

Dr. Harold C. Bradley, a teacher of physiological chemistry, came to Wisconsin in 1906. He served on the Medical School faculty from 1906 to 1948 when he retired. Dr. Bradley was involved in many organizations on campus. He was president of the Sierra Club, a member of the National Ski Hall of Fame, and one of the founders Of the UW Hoofer Club and the Madison Blackhawk Ski Club. Professor Bradley served for many years as chairman Of the Faculty Committee for Social Needs; throughout this period many changes in campus life affecting both students and faculty were initiated. Among these was the 1925 recommendation to construct the Men’s Dormitories and the Wisconsin Union. He served until his retirement as chairman of the original faculty committee which developed the residence hall system which embraced the Oxford -Cambridge concept of guidance from residence house-fellows. In 1925 he was chairman of the University’s first Father’s Day, later to become Parents’ Weekend, which increases the parents’ involvement in the life Of the University. Perhaps no one was as instrumental as Professor Bradley in the enrichment beyond the classroom of the lives of University Of Wisconsin students. He resolved that Wisconsin’s halls would not be just for shelter and food, but an educational experience. In recognition of this, the Board Of Regents named one of the Elm Drive halls after him; now the Bradley Learning Community. Dr. Bradley’s activities within the University, the Madison community, and at the national level were numerous and varied. His teaching in the Medical School spanned a period of 42 years. He was an enthusiastic teacher and imaginative demonstrator of laboratory techniques and practices.