University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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a . a CORKS 2- ND CLIRLS OF NINETEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR wslorz'ml Jkeiclz WK JEFFERSON wanted. a University. Always a Utopian, if a practical one, he dreamed of a school where young men would gather to be educated in a broad, advanced way. He dreamed, in fact, of the perfect University-a beautiful andiinspiring setting, a broad-minded faculty, a will to learn pervading the entire institution. That he was ahead of both his time and ours is best demonstrated by the fact that he even thought of a college where the students could be considered as adults. At any rate, he wanted to found a University and that he usually got what he wanted is evidenced by the thickness of most American histories. Nevertheless, it was not an easy matter. Only after some thirty years of exhorting, fighting, and bulldozing his fellow Virginians, was he able to establish the University of Virginia. The story of that long battle shows the devious ways of compromise which were necessary in those times for the accomplishment of anything constructive. h'Iost of the battle was with the legislature, which had to be coaxed, cajoled, and led in little steps for little feet along the way. It is not, very probably, necessary to point out that history and legislatures manage to repeat themselves. It was in 1803 that Jefferson and Joseph C. Cabell, who had caught Jehersods enthusiasm and was his right hand man throughout the struggle, won the first skirmish. At that time, they induced the legislature to grant a charter for a school to be known as the Albemarle Academy and to name Mr. Jefferson as one of its trustees. This was a compromise and not a very effective one at that, since actual construction of the school was never started. Nevertheless, the two men persisted, and in 1816 the legislature granted a new charter to a Central College, which was to be founded at Charlottesville with both Jefferson and Cabell on the board of visitors. In the next year was laid the cornerstone of this building, which is now the Colonnade Club on West Lawn. Let us hasten to inform you that JeHerson probably never considered the possibility of either of these projects being successful. The development of either one of them would, as he realized, have spiked for a long time the plan of a University. What he was doing in his crafty way, was getting the legislature attuned to the idea of founding educational institutions, leading them on with the crumbs of the Albemarle Academy and Central College until he could pop them into the University trap. I121

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in memoriam CHRISTOPHER QUARRIER SMITH Born in Charleston, Ms! Virginia, January 20, 1910 Died in Ronceverte, W5! Virginia, December 21, 1933 Christopher Quarrier Smith, a student of the University of Vir- ginia, died December 21, 1933, at Ronceverte, West Virginia, as the result of injuries received in an automobile accident. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia, January 20, 1910, and prior to entering the University attended Princeton Preparatory School in Princeton, New Jersey. He enrolled in the University as a student of Engineering and at the time of his death was a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He was an honor student and V ice President of the Engineering School. During his four years here he took an active and constructive interest in every phase of University life. The A K E fraternity, Trigon, Eli Banana, IMP, and Seven Society all mourn his loss. These honors are significant as external evidence of his achievements, but to the many who enjoyed the privilege of his friendship and grew to love him, the memory of his courage, the richness of his personality, his sincerity to his convictions, and his unique sense of humor will always be a source of inspiration. Considerate of others and courteous to all, he was a continual source of pleasure to all those about him. Chris, untimely death brought to an end at its very beginning, not only a career which gave every promise and indication of success, but also a life which was and would have been productive of real joy to others. Though taken from 'our midst before the realization of a full life, the University is proud of him as a son, typifying, as he did, honor, integrity, and a striving towards perfect manhood. The vacancy left in the hearts of his intimate friends cannot be filled. However, the genuineness and strength of his character has made an impression which cannot be dimmed even by the passage of time. H. M. S. B. C. B.

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? CORKS AND CLIFLS OF NINETEEPV HUPJDREEDFHQD THIRTY-FOUR Immediately after the Central College charter was granted, JeHerson went quietly ahead to plan for all of the things which would fit into his ideas of the state University, and in 1818 a commission was appointed by the legislature to investigate the planning and location of such an institution. The commission met in the same year at Rockfish Gap and launched, almost immediately, into a terrific squabble between representatives from various parts of the state, all of whom wanted the University for their own section. Jefferson, of course, was determined that it should be placed at Central College, and presented great numbers of maps and statistics to prove that Charlottesville was the actual population and geographic center of the state. Despite other claims, especially from representatives of Washington College in Lexington, Jefferson's plans were finally carried through and a formal sanction of the establishment of a University at Char- lottesville was given by the legislature in 1819. After obtaining the promise of financial aid. from the state, there remained the problem of the building of the University and the attracting of professors and students. lVIr. Jefferson, as first Rector of the Board of Visitors, lost no time in getting the work started. His original architectural plan was similar to that of the Lawn as it now stands, with the exception of the Rotunda, which was suggested to him by the prominent F renchman, Latrobe. Originally, too, the pavilions were designed to include classrooms and apartments for the bachelor professors; but Jefferson failed to take into account the fact that professors, like others, are subject to the human frailties, and when they got married, their wives wanted the entire pavilions. This, of course, necessitated using other space for classrooms. Construction was started almost immediately, but the difliculties of transporting the heavy materials and of procuring skilled workmen were very great. lVIen were imported from many nearby Eastern cities and two stonecutters were even brought from Italy. lVIuch of their time, however, was necessarily spent in waiting for the slow-moving wagons and drifting scows to bring in the building stuffs. F inally, after six years of feverish activity on the part of the Board of Visitors, punctuated by intermittent wranglings with the legislature over expenditures, the buildings were finished and the school was thrown open to students on the first of February, 1825. One hundred and twenty-three matriculated and, almost immediately, the majority of the one hundred and twenty-three began to criticise and act mopey. In the first place, the Board had made a bad mistake in determining upon the seasons in which to hold session. The February opening necessitated continuing into the hot summer months, which were, as the disgruntled students lost no time in informing their l131