Culver Military Academy - Roll Call Yearbook (Culver, IN)

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Talmage. Vxfhen the school was started the building was used for the Academy gymnasium, and in it were held all the social func- tions of the school, such as dances, entertainments etc. At the time the pres- ent gym was erected, the dining room in Main bar- rack was transformed into - a reading room, and the old gym was converted into a mess hall, remaining as suchiuntil the present mess hall was completed, when it was moved back of the hospital, where it remained the rest of its -days. Until the time of its destruction, the building was used as a trunk room, carpenter and manual training shop. This ire was another great loss both to cadets and school, as hundreds of trunks and suit cases, and hundreds of canvas tent walls used in Summer School were destroyed. This, briefly, is the material history of Culver, aschool which has grown to such great prominence in so short a time, and among mili- tary schools it has taken its place at the very top, rivalling V. lvl. l-., and excelled only by the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. But now we are in a period' when more than mere history, more even than fame-tradition of the most glorious kind-it being made by the Culver men who i , have answered the call to arms, who have rallied to the defense of nation, honor, liberty and d mocracy, and to the glory of their Alma Mater. Al- ready we see more than a thousand stars in our ser- vice Hag, and one of them -so soon-has turned to gold. And daily we hear PAGE 6 I i l I

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the authorities immediately commissioned the cavalry instructor to' buy new mounts equal or superior to those lost, irrespective of expense. The present cavalry organization gives fitting proof of the manner in which that mission was fulfilled. The most recent building to be completed is the new swimming pool which has pro- vided much enjoyment to the corps and faculty. lt is the largest known, being one hundred -and twenty by sixty feet with a capacity of three hundred and seven thousand gallons, and filled with lake water which passes through a series of filters and an ultra-violet ray process. T ' v T An unfortunate event that occurred this winter was the burning of the trunk room. A blizzard had been raging for a day or two before the fire, and as it was about 30 degrees below zero, it was impossible for the fire department to reach the building, which was burned to the ground. The Htrunlc rooms' was here even before the Academy itself, and has had an interesting history of its own. lt was originally built as aftabernacle on the site of the present mess hall,iand in it Chautauqua meetings were held by the famous evangelist, T. DeWitt Q Laying the Corner Stone of the Mess Hall GE

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The Burning Qf the Old Troop PAGE 17