Bryan College - Commoner Yearbook (Dayton, TN)

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Bryan Begins Building Expansion 1. Two new dormitories, Huston and Long, fot women and men respectively, were put into use in March 1964 after a short construction period of one year. 2. After a five-year process of appli- cation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited Bryan College in the fall of 1969- Pictured are Dr. Mercer (center) with Academic Dean Dr. Donald Scott (right) greeted by Director of Public Relations E.M. Steele (left) as they joyously return from Dallas. 3. The Chamber of Commerce erected two Welcome to Dayton-Home of Bryan College signs at the outskirts of town on Highway 27. 4. The new dormitories, the Administration building, and the Octagon are pictured as seen from the air. 5. Funds provided by the bequest of a Chattanooga businessman resulted in the building of the Summers Gymnasium which was completed in 1969. PP The Sixties 2

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The Sixties CHRIST ABOVE ALL The sixties were a decade of renovation and expansion. Building construction became the popular pastime on campus as both professional and student work- ers began the task of expanding the lim- ite d facilities and renovating to upgrade the physical plant. The major building venture was the construction of two new dormitories, long needed because of increasing en- rollment. In 1963 the project began with prayer and a building fund of $35,000, a small sum compared to the total of $720,000 needed. A low-interest loan of $600,000 was secured through a federal college housing program. These funds together with money from the bequest of $400,000 by Mrs. T.S. Allen, of Lincoln, Nebraska, a sister of Wil- liam Jennings Bryan, completed the fi- nancing of the project. In March 1964 Huston and Long dorms were occupied by 180 students. With the purchase and renovation of Cedar Hill in 1967 and construction of Arnold Village, off-campus dormitory space increased. Cedar Hill with eleven living units became women ' s housing. Arnold Village, with twenty apartment buildings, provided modest, yet com- fortable, homes for married students. Bryan also built a new music building in 1965. Located south of the Adminis- tration Building, it contained two stu- dios and four practice rooms complete with new Baldwin pianos. Since then the school has transformed this building into the Education-Psychology Annex. Library holdings increased with the ad- dition of the Alma F. Rader Bible and Rare Book Collection in 1962. Old vol- umes and Bibles of early, foreign, and famous personalities were donated by friends and alumni to honor Dr. Rader at her retirement from active teaching. She died in May 1966. Other campus improvements included a new service building in 1963, the reno- vation of the cafeteria and dining area in 1966, the hiring of Professional Food Management to head the food services, new flooring and walls in the Adminis- tration Building ' s main hall, and the addition of third-floor classroom and laboratory space. The last expansion project of the decade was the construction of a new gymna- sium, which was completed in 1969, at a cost of $109,000. The 1,000-seat building was dedicated to Ernest Sum- mers in 1972 and served as a chapel fa- cility as well as an athletic building. I 24 The Sixties

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The Seventies CHRIST ABOVE ALL Actualization was the theme of theSev- enties-the true realization of the dream of William Jennings Bryan. With needs for dormitory space increasing, the Col- lege, in 1971, bought Arnold Village, apartments previously built as married students ' homes, and turned them into men ' s housing. The year 1972 was noted for building. The beloved Octagon was removed to make room for a newer dorm. Ground- breaking and construction began on a new women ' s dormitory to house 105 women. The administration named this new residence hall for Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Arnold, founders and longtime trustees. Bryan ' s upperclass women joyously moved in on January 28 after only a year of waiting. Symbolic construction began on Rudd Memorial Chapel with the erection of a seventy-five foot high white aluminum and acrylic cross in 1972. Designed by Bryan art instructor Wayne Hook, the four-armed cross with corresponding tip symbolized Bryan ' s motto, Christ Above All. Actual construction of the chapel began in 1975. Originally conceived in 1970, the fine arts complex would hold eleven practice rooms, six classrooms, two art studios and seat 1,159 people. In 1976, Equitable Church Builders of Nashville completed the new chapel at a cost of $1,095,000. Student attractions became the popular pastime on campus. The renovated stu- dent center, the Lion ' s Den, provi ded the ideal place for relaxation and inter- collegiate fellowship. The 1975, 1976, and 1977 soccer teams spread the repu- tation of Bryan College all over the United States with their three con- secutive national championship titles. Almost as if to acknowledge Bryan ' s fruition of a dream, a memorial road sign giving the basic history and stand of the school was erected by the Ten- nessee Historical Committee in the 1979-1980 school year-Bryan ' s fiftieth anniversary.