Davidson College - Quips and Cranks Yearbook (Davidson, NC)

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Davidson College History In IS35 the nu ' inlxTs ol llu ' C ' oncorcl .iiul IIliIkI Prcs Inicrk ' s. cmbratini; western i . C and noitlieni S. C. re s|x-eti ely. decidetl to be in a moxement to found a eolleye lor the baekwoods area of tlie two states. I his mi) ement led to the laying ol the lirst cornerstone, in April. 1S36, oC l)a ids )n Colles je. Named lor a Presby terian Revolutionary War hero. Daxidson opened its d(K)rs as an educational institution on March 1. IH. 7. with a student body of 65. . fter twenty years of economic struK,t;lc. the sciiool found a benefactor in Mav ' ell Chambers of Salisbury. . C Chambers ' endowment of $200,000. making !)a id son the richest college in the South, permitteil the construction of a new c|uadrani;le. dominated by the most elab.irate structure of its kind, the Ma.xwel! Chamlx-rs Building, containing classr(x)ms, dormitory space, and an auditorium. With the outbreak of the War Between the States, Davidson invested her funds in Confederate war bonds, resulting in subsei|uent losses: and it was not until the turn of the century that the college again mo cd on the upswing. In the early 1900 ' s. howexer. under energetic anil efficient leailershiii, particularly Irom business man- ager Trank Lee Jackson. Da idson College increased its physical facilities, added to its faculty, and tripled its enrollment. Da ids)n was now strong enough to withstand even the blow of the loss of the Chambers Building in 1 21 by fire, as by 19. 0 replacement tunds had prox idixl ffir the completion of the present Chambers Building. Dur- ing the Depression of the Thirties Da idson s progress was only slowed: endowment funds increased slowly but steadily and there was no annual deficit. lo the leadership of Dr. John R. Cunningham. President of the College from 1941 1957, does Da ids in College largely owe its present status: for under Dr. Cun- ningham most of the present plant was constructed and the endowment almost tripled to S9.000.000. loday. under the college ' s thirteenth President, Dr. D. Crier Martin, this expansion is continuing. Presently the endowment stands at just under S9. 500.000: the len Year Plan is in full swing: and the enrollment is expected to reach 1000 within two years. In this situation Da idson College looks to the future with confidence.

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