Elon University - Phi Psi Cli Yearbook (Elon, NC)

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History of Elon College Dr. Durvvard T. Stokes, retired history professor and current college historian, is writing a book on the history of Elon College. In 1889, the Christian Church, (known today as the United Church of Christ), decided to build a liberal arts college. Dr. William Samuel Long, an educator and minister, suggested a co-educational college. The sight chosen was Mill Point (currently known as Elon College), a railroad stop for the mill located at Altamahaw-Ossipee. The sight was located in a dense grove of oak trees; thus the name Elon was chosen, since it is Hebrew for oak. The first building stood where Alamance stands now. The men were housed on one of the floors of the building and the women had to stay in the town of Company Shops (currently known as Burlington). Later, East building was built as a women ' s dor- mitory. The school opened in Septem- ber, 1890, and the enrollment was seventy-six. The school was first organized to be a preparatory school and a four year liberal arts college. It was also one of the earliest colleges in the state to be co- educational. Dr. Stokes feels that Elon College has an excellent future. The college shows a personal interest in its students. Also, the college has managed to main- tain financial stability.

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Dr. Danieley Reminisces Dr. J. Earl Danieley. a well known resident and former president of the college, has very pleasing memories of Elon College. Elon College, the town, is a small, quaint, southern community, located in the rural piedmont of North Carolina. The town has approximately 2370 people. Some of the main attrac- tions in town are The Pub, Brown and Co., The Lighthouse, Hardee ' s. The Pantry, and the Priestley Fine Art Gallery. The majority of the residents of Elon College are very supportive of the college. The college has brought them more business and helped the economic situation. However, Elon College does have some complaints. First of all is vandalism. This year several items have been stolen from the businesses on Williamson Avenue. This looting is e. - pensive and aggravates the town ' s peo- ple. However, Elon College has changed greatly in the past few years. In the past ten years, the college has almost doubled in size. Also, the attitudes of the students have changed. In the late 1960 ' s and early 1970 ' s, the college had many protesters of the war in Vietnam. Today, the main problem is drugs. This problem has grown out of proportion. Almost every student has either once used or currently uses some form of drugs, be it alcohol, marijuana, etc. Another big change is the freedom of interaction between the se.xes. Although there are some complaints about the visitation policy, it is better today than it was a decade ago. Through the years, the school and town of Elon College have maintained a high level of respect for each other. Without the cooperation between the town and college, the success of each would be nonexistent. The Gallery flags v elcome travelers to Elon. 10