Clemson University - Taps Yearbook (Clemson, SC)

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In the Spring of 1891 an executive committee derived from the first board of trustees was placed in charge of the building program. July 28, 1891, marked the first offi- cial step toward the physical construction of the college when the corner stone of the Main Building was laid. Fifteen faculty members and four hundred and forty- six students opened the first session on July 7, 1893. At that time the buildings were limited to the Main Building, Clemson Memorial Hall, a chemical laboratory, a machinery hall which housed the heating and lighting plants, first bar- racks, and an infirmary. The college was organized into fifteen independent departments, and a fairly comprehen- sive course in either agriculture or mechanics was available to the youth of South Carolina in 1894. We have come a long way since that time. We will go further. The line of men who pass this way and pause to support Thomas G. Clemson s dream will never end . . . THE DREAM WILL GROW AS MINDS GROW.

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possible limitations of a purely scientific school, Clemson enlisted the advice of dynamic Tillman. Out of this asso- ciation Senator Ben received an inspiration which later stimulated his enthusiastic support when we became the problem-child of the legislature. On April 6, 1888, Clemson died at his Fort Hill home, and Simpson, as executor, proceeded to probate the will and carry out its provisions. A test case carried us into court when Isabella Lee, granddaughter of Calhoun, contested the will. Meanwhile, the self-made rugged individualist, Till- man, carried us safely through a storm of legislative disap- proval, and we fell on Governor Richardson ' s desk in De- cember of 1888 — two days before the termination of the legislative session. Due to our questionable validity we remained there until the 1889 session opened. On May 21 of that year Clemsons bequest was upheld in the United States Circuit Court, and when the legislature convened Governor Richardson promptly approved the bill accepting the terms of the will. On November 27, 1889, the Clem- son estate became the legal property of the State of South Carolina.

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HAIL, CLEMSON!! Yes, we hail Clemson. The Clemson we have made and are making. The Clemson which was conceived in a vivid spark of inspiration and built in the mind of a man with a far-seeing eye . . . the man whose name we wear around our third finger. Thomas Green Clemson gave us our heritage ; we have hon- ored it with the determination to give posterity an inheri- tance steeped in the tradi- tions, customs, and spirit which are an outgrowth of his name. A gift which only we, the Cadets, can give. With this resolution before us, we have selected the fif- tieth anniversary of Clemson College as our theme. We have done so because we do not want the 1939 TAPS to be merely an annual of the forty- third class. Our desire is to combine the record of our class with a commemoration of the forty-two classes which have preceded us. 1889 V.M.Q» C H