College of Emporia - Alla Rah Yearbook (Emporia, KS)

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KTPQO 'Wfij l 3 V' f rl +V 1 Q7 4 is ,'? ' U Yef' 'r-...K Fi N ..' 1, I xe l ee' :Asia Crfi' 0 Historical Sketch. HE College of Emporia may be said to have had its origin not later than the early years of 1869 or '70, at the time when the Rev. R. M. Overstreet came to the Emporia settlement to take charge of the handful of Presby- terians wl.o had, a little previously, effected a church organization. Mr. Overstreet came imbued with the idea of a Synodical College where worthy young men and women who, otherwise, would go without an education, might have the opportunity offered by a good school. How- ever, there was already located at Highland a college which was supported by the Synods surrounding, but Emporia offered natural inducements as to location, facility of access, etc., and above all, a thoroughly unified and self-sacrificing community of men and women who earnestly set to work to accomplish their desires. A committee of representative Emporia citizens, including, for example, Dr. J. J. Wright, a prominent member of the Methodist church, waited upon the Synod and pressed the claims of Emporia as a location for the proposed college. Up to 1877, however, no general interest had been manifest throughout the state for a Synodical College, but at about this time attention began to be drawn to the fact that immigration was moving westward and away from Highland, and that Highland as a Synodical school was alien to the Presbyterians of Kansas. At a meeting in Fort Scott in 1877 a group of men, among whom were Dr. McCabe, Dr. Bishop and Rev. Overstreet, for- mulated resolutions to be presented to the next Synod urging them to act at once on the vital question of a college. Accordingly Synod met, discussed the resolutions half-heartedly and, out of deference, appointed a man from each Presbytery of the State to take up the matter. Suddenly, however, renewed interest throughout the west in Christian education was aroused, and at just about this time the General Assembly created the College Board, for the establishing and maintaining colleges and institutions of its own denomination. Then the citizens of Emporia came forward with the offer of 835,000 and a site of thirty-eight acres of ground, provided that Synod would pledge itself to raise an endowment of sso,ooo at the earliest possible date, and continue in its efforts fully to endow the College. The first step was the thorough canvass of Emporia and its vicinity, where S40,000 was raised. Then the entire state was undertaken and the responses for material and funds were liberal so far as the friends of the plan had means. But this was thirty years ago, when times were far from prosperous. It was impossible to raise the necessary amount by popular sub- scription and the plan was adopted to take endowment notes bearing interest, and before long Synod had raised the first 825,000 pledged. The building now known as Stuart Hall was rapidly underway and promised an early completion. But unfortunately debts began to pile up and it was necessary to bond the entire property for S25,000 in order to complete the con- struction. The sale of the bonds was slow and failure seemed inevitable, when two sturdy friends were discovered, the presidents of two of the leading banks in the town, H. C. Cross and Major Calvin Hood. At one time or another each of these men were treasurer of the College Board of Trustees, and more than once weathered the College by their timely financial assistance. Disaster in crops and business intervening from year to year, protracted the burdens of the school, and it has been a constant struggle to provide the means to build up and maintain the existence of the institution. Some of the best men in the state have served on the board of trustees and have given counsel that was invaluable in steering the College through the breakers. A number of the early friends of the College were James E. Platter, Dr. Levi Sternberg is another, Dr. F. S. McCabe, Dr. William Bishop, Judge Horton, John B. Anderson, N. C. McFarland, Senator P. B. Plumb, William Austin, and Dr. J. D. Hewitt. Of the above list perhaps the name of John B. Anderson is most familiar to College students and friends. At one time Mr. Anderson gave his notes to the College for 81,500 and later paid them with interest. And again, when some of his friends suggested celebrating the 50th anni- versary of the marriage of himself and his estimable wife, he consented upon condition that the occasion be turned into the founding of a library. He gave his own private collection of books as a foundation and today we have the structure bearing the honorable name, Anderson Memorial Library. 9

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Looking Toward the Future. .,., . HE past year has been one of achievement in the history of the College of Emporia. During that time the lower east hallway in Stuart Hall, to- gether with the new biological laboratory museum and recitation room, have been completed. The faculty has been strengthened by the services of Professor Nurse and Mrs. Eleanor Christian, both of whom have become gee 39, popular and influential in the life of the school. During the past year the endowment of the college has been increased to fifty thousand dollars and bio Cerfs larger gifts than ever before have come to the school for the current expense fund from the Presbyterian churches and friends in Kansas. It has not yet been possible to sell the Lewis Academy building in Wichita. This building is valued at fifty thousand dollars. But as soon as it can be sold, part of the money will be put into the endowment fund, and about thirty thousand dollars used to erect a new Academy building upon the campus at Emporia. We believe that the college has today an unusually strong faculty and stands for an unusually high grade of work from the standpoint of scholarship. We believe that the social and moral atmosphere of the school, and the ideals of the students, make this both an attract- ive and helpful school, a place where young men and women are fitted for noble and high minded service to the age in which we live. As we look forward to the future, we wish that we could describe the College of Emporia as the institution is destined to appear at commencement day in 1920. We believe that when some of the members of the class of 1910 reassemble upon commencement day ten years hence, they will find Twelfth Avenue a broad and well paved boulevard leading to the gates of the college. On either side of the avenue will stand the homes of the members of the faculty. As they come to the college gateway they will see the beautiful green campus, as smooth as a well kept lawn, surrounded by the stately trees, beneath whose shade they used to walk. At the center of the campus will stand historic old Stuart Hall, endeared by the strivings of earlier years. As they look about the crescent driveway and the cement walks that reach to every part of the campus, they will see to the westward of Stuart Hall a handsome science building, and just beyond it a pond and a garden of wild flowers belonging to the depart- ment of Biology. To the eastward of the library building they will see the fine building of Lewis Academy. At the southeast corner of the campus they will see the beautiful and spacious Girls' Dormitory, the fund for whose erection was started during the year 1909. At the southwest corner of the campus they will see a handsome Boys' Dormitory. Then they will hasten through the grounds to the north of Stuart Hall where a splendid gymnasium will stand by the side of the well kept athletic field. They will mount into the crowded grand- stand and watch a spirited game between the Seniors and Faculty. They will gather after the commencement address in the new gymnasium, for the alumni banquet, and they will listen while the graduates of 1920 tell them that the ideals and standards of the college in scholar- ship, social life and spiritual influence have not been lowered. The graduates of other years will come from many parts of the world to tell of the service which they have been rendering to humanity in many walks of life, and they will acknowledge their indebtedness to the College of Emporia, as the place where visions of service together with ideals of noble charac- ter were held before them. They will join together in singing the old college songs and pledging renewed fidelity to this college, with whose fortunes and ideals their lives have been so closely intertwined A ' ns. Q : ' ' N 2' 'sf ' 17' 'L it-. M ll