Frank Everson Vandiver (December 9, 1925 in Austin, Texas – January 7, 2005 in College Station, Texas) was an American Civil War historian, and former president of Texas A&M University and the University of North Texas, as well as acting president of Rice University. Vandiver wrote, co-wrote, or edited 24 books, and published an additional 100 scholarly articles or reviews. One of his books was a runner-up for a National Book Award. Early years Vandiver was born in Texas. He joined the United States Army Air Corps during World War II and served as a historian. Despite not having a high school diploma, following the war, Vandiver entered the University of Texas at Austin to study humanities and American studies. He was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship for his studies. Vandiver received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas in 1949 and was awarded a PhD from Tulane University in 1951. Teaching After graduation, Vandiver accepted a teaching position as Washington University in St. Louis, but left within a few years to teach at Rice University in Houston, Texas, becoming a full professor in 1958. Over the next two decades, Vandiver was promoted to department chair, master of Brown College, provost, and vice president, serving as the acting president in 1969-1970. In 1963-1964 he served as Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University. In 1969 during his tenure as acting president, Houston Independent School District awarded Vandiver his only missing degree - a high school diploma. In 1979 Vandiver left Rice to become the president of what is now the University of North Texas. Texas A&M University In 1981 Vandiver became president of Texas A&M University. During his tenure, Vandiver was a driving force behind the adoption of a law creating space-grant colleges in the United States. Colleges given this designation would gain federal funds to research space-related technologies. Vandiver believed that Texas A&M was well-positioned to become one of the first of these institutions and remarked that such a designation would "elevate Texas A&M from being an excellent institution for space-related studies to being a great one". Vandiver resigned as president of A&M in 1988, citing a desire to spend more time on research and writing. Rather than leave the university, he established the Mosher Defense Studies Institute, a national defense think tank. He was also named a distinguished professor in the history department.