Buena Vista University - Log Yearbook (Storm Lake, IA)

Page 7 text:

lmfmesb iw ea l-lisfomg Qpafelwolf bg Because of his contributions as a professor and as the author of The History of Buena Vista College, we dedicate the 1966 Beaver Log to William H. Cumberland. Dr. Cumberland was born at Vinton, Iowa, and was gradu- ated from Urbana High School. In 1950 he was granted a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Dubuque. In 1951 he taught on the secondary level in Illinois. That summer he began his schooling at the University of Iowa. While there he worked as a library assistant in the medical library. Travel in Germany gave Dr. Cumberland an opportunity to meet the pen-pal who was later to become his wife. Dr. Cumberland joined the Buena Vista College faculty in September of 1958. That same year he earned his doctorate from the University of lowa. In 1953 he had been granted his Master of Arts Degree from the same institution. His doctoral thesis was entitled The History of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and his masters thesis dealt with Circuit Chautauqua Programs in 1924. Dr. Cumberland's full professorship at Buena Vista College began in the fall of 1965. His contributions as Acting Chair- man of the Social Science Division and sponsor of the college chapters of Young Democrats and Phi Alpha Theta were Pictured ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE was Dr. William H. Cumberland, author of The History of Buena Vista College and the recipient of the yearbook dedication. . greatly appreciated. He was largely responsible for bring- ing Phi Alpha Theta, the history fraternity, and the American Association of University Professors to the campus. ln 1966 Dr. Cumberland was elected to the presidency of the Buena Vista College A.A.U.P. chapter. y William H. Cumberland's History of Buena Vista College revealed his concern for accurate, bbiective reporting as well as his interest in the college. The Tack, The Storm Lake Pilot- Tribune, trustee minutes, the papers .of W. C. Edson, all college publications, and numerous other sources were extensively used in the preparation of the document. The book, published by the University of Iowa Press, provided the intellectual hub for the college's seventy-fifth anniversary year, celebrated in the academic year 1966 to 1967. y Dr. Cumberland felt that the progress made by Buena Vista College since its founding in 1891 Was remarkable. He credited the success which was achieved to the personal contributions of the people who dedicated they selves to the college. In his book, W. C. Edson was emphasized as one of the central figures in the struggles to establish and preserve Buena Vista College.

Page 6 text:

1 1 fa 1 ' 'fwwwmmmg E K 5 '75 fy viz 'ill my 5,117 L, Q Q Nxis?f2xsfis:sf . - tg., MW, ...R K ' M W' , ' 1 f'1fufaR,5'1'gazefEm.- ' 'zrfw ' M

Page 8 text:

George Fracker was an important example of the faculty members whose self-sacrifice allowed the college to remain on its feet. He was a self- taught genius, according to Cumberland, and he stood out as a universal scholar, having mastered Latin, Greek, French, and German. There was no field in which he was not competent. In fact, in Cumberland's words, he was the college at one time early in the college'-s history. His dedication to the school was apparent, since records show that he was only paid about half the time. Gther important people in Buena Vista's his- tory were Alice Wilcox, dean of women and English professor who in her twenty years here did a great deal for the school, and E. F. Blay- ney, a professor from i903 to l9l3, who at times was the only holder of a Ph.D. on the faculty. C. W. Coelln, a German immigrant who was formerly State Superintendent of Educa- tion was outstanding in from 1892 to l896, and F. F. Smith, for whom Smith Hall was named, deserved recognition for his scholarship and ser- vice. Smith was a mem- ber of the college fac- ulty from l9l9 to l952, a record of thirty-three years of teaching sur- passed only by Fracker's thirty-nine and rivaled by George Reynold's tvventy-eight years of teaching and Luman Sampson's twenty-nine. Although he decided in lvlarch of i963 to write B.V.'s history, Dr. Cumberland did most of the work during during his service to the school ministration, which lasted from i942 to l954, were followed by chapters on student life and traditions, and the athletic pro- gram. The Last Dec- ade, the final chapter in the book, treated the years T954 to l966, the decade during which Cumberland felt that the most progress had been made. Although Buena Vista is now well on its way to becoming one of the better liberal arts col- leges in the Midwest, it experienced great diffi- culties during its first year. ln l89i, twenty years after Storm Lake's incorporation, leaders of the l,682 citizens of the town began to hope George Fracker, universal scholar, competent in every field, self-taught genius, fhqf The Sfruggling FQF1' his self sacrifices allowed the college to remain on its feet. F. F. Smith, deserves recognition for his scholarship and service, was a member of the faculty for thirty-three years. the summer of l965. The finished book contained ten chapters. The first, dealing with the college's first year, l89l-l892, was printed in Annals of Iowa in the summer of l965. Later chapters included The Not So Gay Ninetiesf' The Administration of E. E. Reed, l900-l906, and The Struggle Takes Form, which dealt with the decade following Reed. Chapter Five, which was entitled From War to De- pression was referred to by Dr. Cumberland as from bad to worse. The chapters on the Olson ad- Dodge Collegiate Insti- tute would be moved to Storm Lake. The Pilot urged the acceptance of the college because it would mean that fam- ilies of the best citizens would b-ecome prominent residents of Storm Lake, and that property sales would go up along with business profit. President Loyal Hays, who replaced F. L. Kenyon as head of the Institute, had less business-oriented reasons for moving the college, according to Dr. Cumber- land's first chapter. He considered Storm Lake to be a classic little city. The fact that Storm Lake was far from saloons and other temptations of a big city especially appealed to him. ln contrast, Fort Dodge allowed saloons and other morally dangerous elements, reported President Hays. lt was hoped that the quiet groves and parks and the lake would invite students to study and pure living. When the citizens of Rolfe withdrew from the fight and the Fort Dodge trustees failed to raise enough money, Storm Lake was assured of getting the -school. A proposal by the Storm Lake Town Lot and Land Company included the donation of an eight acre lot and an agreement to erect