Lambuth College - Lantern Yearbook (Jackson, TN)

A College Grows (Continued) cemetery association a fifteen acre tract behind the college, the Board of Trustees was forced to buy the entire cemetery. The fifteen acres eventually became Fonville Field, and the devel- oped part of the cemetery was sold. However, as a result of this real estate transaction, Dr. Gobbel was asked on more than one occasion if Lambuth had increased its enrollment by add- ing to its roster the names of people on the cemetery markers. An able administrator, a diplomat, a leader, but not one who lived in an ivory tower, Dr. Gobbel seemed to play the role of a founding father. Sometimes seen on a tractor or assum- ing other duties around campus that probably did not fit the stereotype of a college president, Dr. Gobbel thought that his presence with the men en- couraged them. When asked why he worked this way, Dr. Gobbel replied, " I liked getting out on campus. I liked working with my hands ... I did it because I like exercise. Also, I didn ' t want anybody to work harder than I did ... " When Dr. Gobbel came to Lambuth, he neither sought nor ex- pected an ivory tower. As he remi- nisced, he said: " I had a job to do ... I believed, sometimes desperately, al- ways earnestly, in the value of Chris- tian education ... I didn ' t want an ivory tower. " Illness and family separation con- tinued to be important reasons for the Whetstones ' return to America at the end of their term in India. Further- more, they were invited by President Gobbel to come back to Lambuth. Needless to say, the Whetstones were " very impressed " by the changes at Lambuth, even though they, espe- cially Mrs. Whetstone, missed the majestic front steps that once led to Jones Hall. With more facilities, more students, and a stronger academic cur- riculum, the Lambuth of 1960 was quite different from what it had been eight years earlier. Even with all these improvements, the times were different. Lambuth felt the tensions of the 60 ' s and early 70 ' s as students gained a sense of freedom and power. Students went on strike at Lambuth just as they had done at Clancey High School in 1940 when the Whetstones were still in India. And, Dean Whetstone ' s solution was the same in both instances. Through prayer and fellowship the strikes dis- banded with new hope for the future. The Human Development Center (now the Learning Enrichment Cen- ter) was organized in 1972 as a result of a Title III grant. The center started out with developmental English and reading classes. Under Dean Whet- stone ' s direction, the center became the focal point of supplemental educa- tion and counseling not only for Lam- buth but also for the City of Jackson. With its excellent staff, Lambuth was and is able to " minister to the whole person. " Shortly after Dean Walter H. Why- brew came to Lambuth in 1957, he was charged with the responsibility of heading the music department. He re- called, " We had a good music depart- ment, but it was very limited. " He or- ganized the La mbuth College band and directed it for three years until a full time director was added to the staff. The academic life was much more limited in the late fifties and early six- ties, according to Dean Whybrew. He recalled that when he accepted his po- sition, there were only twenty-two faculty members. Also, the courses and degrees offered were much more limited then because Lambuth, Dean Whybrew recollected, " was essential- ly a liberal arts college basing almost all of its academics primarily on the humanities. " During his term as registrar, Dean Whybrew prepared many educational at- „ ABOVE — Frisbee throwing is a common sight on campus. BELOW — Cornerstone of M.C.F.I. building on display at the flagpole. * " \ " • ^j MWO-fty TOW « > *-- »■*» ,» ' ' RSTONI 01 v WING 12