Arkansas State University - Indian Yearbook (Jonesboro, AR)

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DIVISION II -- INSTITUTIONAL

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INFORMATION Division I INSTITUTIONAL Division II STUDENT BODY Division III MILITARY Division IV ORGANIZATIONS Division V PHOTOMONTAGE Division VI FEATURES

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ARKANSAS §TATIE § PROGRESS Filled with hard unceasing iabor and a constant battle against discouragement, the story of the development of Arkansas State College is a history that is full of glamour and romance. Though comparatively young in years, this institution has had more than its share of trials since its conception in 1909. Loyalty and belief in what they were working for, and what they were bringing to the people of Arkansas, led the founders and developers of the school to continue their work in the face of the greatest odds. In 1909, the Hon. J. J. Bellamy introduced Act 100 into the legislative body of Arkansas. This Act provided that four district Agricultural Schools be established in the state. On April 1, 1909, the bill parsed the Legislature, and the way was cleared for the founding of the State Agricultural School. Early in 1910, the Board of Trustees and President V. C. Kays, ambitious to get the school started, opened it for business in rooms above the old T. J. Ellis Jewelry Company in Jones- boro. In 1911, the original Administration Building and two dormitories, Barnhart and Lewis Halls, were completed, and the school moved into its own buildings. Dr. Newton H. Brown, the first Doctor of Philosophy on the faculty, came in 1927. Then, in 1929, came recognition from the North Central Association of Arkansas A. and M. as a two year college. In 1930 the school offered its first four year courses, and in the spring of 1931 the first graduates completed their work. The great fire of 1931 seemed a tragedy at the time, but it developed into a two million dollar building project. On January 17, the Administration Building, which had been in use since 1911, burned. To replace it, R. E. Lee Wilson Hall was completed in the fall of 1932. At the same time two new dormitories were started, and they were completed in 1934. The North Central Association recognized the College an official degree granting instit- ution in 1933. In the spring of this same year, the name was changed to Arkansas State College by a special act of Legislature. Members of the Board of Trustees at the time the College be- came a four year institution, were R. Whitaker, President, Maurice Block, R. E. Lee Wilson, W L. Banks, and Pearle Davis. In 1936, the R. O. T. C. was added to the College curriculum. All male students take two years of military training. Graduates of the four year course are awarded a commission of Second Lieutenant in the Reserve Officers Corps. The year 1938 saw the completion of two new buildings, making the total value of the physical plant of Arkansas State College amount to $1,700,000. The completion of the new Military and Science buildings in 1940 brought that total up to $2,000,000. Governor Bailey in 1939 appointed Judge J. C. Johnson, West Memphis civic leader, and Will Mack, Jonesboro theater man, to serve on the Board of Trustees in place of Mr; Wilson and Mr. Whitaker who had passed on to their Eternal Reward. In the hands of the Board of Trustees of the College rests the huge responsibility for the general welfare of the faculty, students, and the physical plant. Each of the Board Members is chosen by the Governor ot the State of Arkansas, and each is active in the behalf of education. To them, President V. C. Kays, and Senators Thaddeus H. Caraway and Hattie W. Caraway must go the credit for the growth of Arkansas State College.