Westminster College - Blue Jay Yearbook (Fulton, MO)

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ff! President Davidson would serve West mxnster for 18 years, longer than any other chief executive During that time both enrollment and endowment expanded to new highs The campus experienced phenomenal growth, more than doubling in size and in the number of buildings A program of extensive renovation of older buildings was also begun The Davidson years climaxed with the rehallowing of the Church of St Mary, Aldermanbury, which had been brought stone by stone from London in the late 1960s and reconstructed on the Westminster campus as the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library Having been largely destroyed by the German bombing raids of December, 1940, and with no prospects of restoration in London, the church's removal and renewal here seemed fittingly appropriate to mark the occasion of one of Church1ll's most im portant speeches It also provided a real need on the campus for a worship center as the college's previous chapel had fallen victim to the rigors of time and climate The Dedication, during the week of May 4 11, 1969 was marked with elaborate ceremonies Dngnitarles from throughout the world gathered in Fulton for the dedication of the memorial These included Lady Mary Soames, Churchill's youngest daughter, Gov Averell Harriman, Gen Mark Clark, Lord Mountbatton, Gov Warren Hearnes, former Gov John Dalton, Thomas Hart Benton and Mag Gen Harry Vaughn 18 lf one looks at the buildings around campus they all tell a story The first Westminster Hall was erected ln 1853 at a cost of S15,000 However it was destroyed nn 1909 by fire All that remained of the original structure were the Columns which now serve as the symbol for the college The pre sent Westminster Hall was built in 1911 to replace the destroyed structure lt remained intact until 1973 when it underwent a mayor renovation which left it the way it is seen today The Hall of Science ns the oldest building on campus, having been completed nn 1901 It has un dergone several renovations with extensive remodeling in the early 1970s Reunion Hall, which now stands vacant, was erected as the first college dormitory ln 1903 to mark the Joining of both synods of the Presbyterian Church in the support of the college after the divisions of the Civil War The gymnasium was completed nn 1929 to mark the end of the Golden Era of Westminster sports It had been long in completion, due to a nasnum in the attic of both the old and new West mxnster Halls Basketball games, however, were played first in downtown stores and then in the 1920s at McBride Gymnasium at William Woods ' ' - ' ' ' lack of funds. Before that there was a small gym-

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if H fr ,if -A wx, i deep + finl X Q2 44 ,if iz, 13852 Ez, ' fi ui A Ma: ,w 2553 Q, ef-if i A new president took the helm in 1933. Franc L. Bullet McCluer was promoted from within the faculty and proved a dynamic ,leader as Westminster moved through the Depression and World War II. When the latter drained this all-men's college of much of its manpower, McCluer secured a navy V-12 unit to keep it going. He inaugurated two different lectureships-an Institute of Public Affairs to deal with the domestic scene and the John Findley Green Foundation Lectures in foreign affairs. The former did not survive the war, but McCluer successfully revived the latter with his in- vitation to Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of England, in 1946. So on March 5, Sir Winston delivered his famous Sinews of Peace or Iron Curtain address. Many historians and political scientist would later point to the speech as the official beginnings of the Cold War . In any event the Churchill visit placed Westminster on the in- ternational map, and the name of the British statesman has been indelibly linked with that of the college since that time. Strong leadership from an energetic Robert L D Davidson, who took the presidential helm in 1955, and a forceful Board moved the college to new heights of service and excellence As had been true throughout its history, a hard working, dedicated faculty, many with more than a quarter century of service, continued to be the backbone of Westminster's success They remained constantly alert to keep its curriculum ahve and vital to the changing demands of the times while giving it a strong liberal arts base to meet the needs of the whole man ' f . . ' t W 1 5 f 3 . t ' 'lj . A ' . . -WfT 1 7514 is- if PW, as . 9 gc 1 5515? E e l n 3 1 , . ami'

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In the 1950s the trustees developed the policy of naming new buildings for long-tenured ',p1'0feSS0l'S. Reeves Library, completed in 1951, was named for Jeremiah Jerry Reeves, long-time gprofessor of English from the 1920s through the 1940s. The dormitories were named for Scott, Rice, ggage, Marquess, Weigle, and Sweazy, all of whom :served Westminster for more than thirty years. or ellndeed the first three served for more than fifty years each-a remarkable record. Robertson Hall, of course, is named for the college founder. As Westminster completes its 125th year, this ffgreat small college, as one of its earlier historians has termed it, has traveled a long road from that October day in 1851 when the first class was called to order in a frame building on the southern brow of the hill overlooking Stinson Creek. The way has frequently been difficult. Never blessed with a large financial endowment, Westminster has survived and prospered largely through the tireless devotion and dedicated ser- vice of her sons-faculty, trustees, friends, alum- X ni. Each generation has made its contribution. Yesterday's past is tomorrow's beginning. PHS Iall 1' ii led J ich