Kent State University - Chestnut Burr Yearbook (Kent, OH)

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Kent hall beconics (he third sli-uetiu ' e to stand on Normal hill in 1914. In 1915, the state legislature appropriates $120,000 for a dormitory, Moulton hall. Later, the trees will succumb to the dread blight, Laird is told, but the name of the annual will remain. Concerning the Alumni organization. President Bowman adds: The association will continue to function. By 1960, Laird, there ' ll be about 19,000 grad- uates of Kent and close to 100,000 former stu- dents. Alumni will be iound in every state in the union and in 27 foreign countries. George A. Bowman ( whose teaching experi- ence began in a tiny one-room schoolhouse in Morrow County, Ohio) and his young compan- ion are strolling away from the giant oak near the Hub and are moving slowly across the front campus. Late model automobiles with swept- back fenders can be seen sailing down Main street. The President turns to Laird. Remember, I said a contract was awarded to construct several new buildings? Well, these buildings are now complete. Two stand side by side, right over there, you see, next to Merrill hall. When they were being built, four circus tents had been raised on Normal hill to house the overflow of large summer registrations. Classroom work, assemblies, even graduations were held in these tents. KSN Turns To Sports Even as the new buildings were bei ng occu- pied. Bowman continues, the school fielded its Also in 1915, an appropriation of $100,000 is made for a heating and power plant.

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The teaching faculty will increase from 21 in 1913 to 361 in 1960 ered to build another dormitory and a heating and power plant. It ' s an exciting month, too, because now McGilvrey is making plans to pro- vide a four-year course leading to the degree of bachelor of education (B.Ed.). Kent State Normal School, in a very real sense, is McGilvrey ' s school. He cares for it — loves it as if it were his own. He and Dean John- son plant grass seed about the buildings. They set out young trees and shrubs. McGilvrey plants every sprig of ivy; he prunes trees, he trims bushes and he chops deadwood. Also, the students, in a very real sense, are the Presi- dent ' s students. The numbers are few, and he prides himself on his ability to call most of them by name. By 1915, however, McGilvrey ' s ability to recall names is becoming increasingly difficult. There are more and more students arriving each quarter. Already the need has been felt to es- tablish a four-year program. The faculty is growing fast: there are Margaret Dunbar, li- brary science; David Olson, geography; Nina S. Humphrey, public school art; Clinton S. Van Deusen, manual training; May H. Prentice, director of training; and Emmet C. Stopher, training school, plus 15 others. It ' s July again and old faces are back. Alumni Day is being held. About 200 graduates have elected Albert S. Gregg the first associa- tion president. Alumni are talking over old times and someone mentions the Walden Dramatic club, the first Kent student society. It was organized in 1913 soon after class work began. The Walden club, in addition to its prim- ary purpose, publishes the first yearbook: a 91- page, 65-picture edition with 25 pages devoted to advertisements. The chestnut trees on cam- pus suggested its name — The Chestnut Burr. Thirty-four students hear Governor James Cox deliver the first commencement address. The Walden Dramatic club starts in December, 1913 and publishes the first Burr.

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first basketball team in the 1914-1915 season, winning three games against local teams but losing all college competition. The squad played its first intercollegiate game in the newly- com- pleted auditorium building in the Atrium. On January 28, 1915, the Normal High School News reported the game as follows: The Normal quintet was defeated by the Otterbein machine, Friday evening, at 8 o ' clock, 56 to 5. It looked as if Otterbein could keep three balls away from the Normal. Carpenter shot the only field basket for the Normal; Cort shot three foul baskets. There was a large at- tendance — about two hundred. Goodrich led the cheering. Normal did well considering it was their first big game. The baseball team also played during this season. The K. S. N. sluggers won their first game over Baldwin-Wallace, 7-6. They lost to Mt. Union and twice to Hiram, Mt. Union emerging with a winning 9-3 score, and with Hiram also defeating Kent, 16-4 and 15-3. Then came football. But after two scrim- mages with the local high school team, the sport is abandoned. Not until 1920 will Kent Play its first intercollegiate football game. At that time they ' ll play against Ashland on October 30, losing 6-0. Kent ' s next game will be played against Bowling Green, with Kent losing 7-0. Paul Chandler will serve as Kent ' s coach as well as head of the department of education. Why is Kent ' s early record anything but glorious? Some say it ' s because McGilvrey doesn ' t see much point in emphasizing upon varsity athletics. The Normal nine beat local pick-up teams with ease, but are trounced by other colleges. f f . 0- The first basketball squad plays t n mui collegiate games that prove disastrous. In 1920, the football team is called the Silver Foxes because President McGilvrey has purchased a silver fox farm adjoining the campus. ZT : vv L ■ j . pJ ' r ■ - ' ITdL- ' ' w mm % ' .y ' ■% 1 19 ... « . m V 1 3 .- -;s m ' ■m ■—% .... ' ' - ' :-—• ■ ' ■ ■