Florida Memorial College - Arch Yearbook (Miami, FL)

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Anderson Hal! — The Administration Building. Fisher Hall — Residence for Junior-Senior Women. Jonathan Sewall Library.

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Historical Florida Normal and Industrial Memorial College is nestled beneath the moss ladened oaks and the tall stately pines three miles west of Saint Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. The Florida Baptist College, as it were then, wa? founded in a church in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1892 by a few far-sighted, public spirited Christians who wanted to provide educational and vocational training for the young men and women of Florida and at the same time guide them in building strong Christian charac- ter. To this end, the school has worked for sixty-six years. The Reverends M. W. Gilbert, J. T. Brown and Miss Sarah Blocker were the co-founders, each of whom were formerly associated with the Live Oak Institute which was also a Baptist School founded at Live Oak Florida, in 1879. 1894, the Reverend J. T. Brown was elected the first president of the infant institution in which capacity he served until 1896. r ' 1896, Mr. Nathan W. Collier became the second president and remained the mentor until 1941. The college thrived under his illustrious leadership. The following are a few of the outstanding events that oc- curred during his administration: 1900, James Weldon Johnson and his brother Rosmond, both instructors of music at the Florida Baptist Academy wrote the words and music to the Negro National Anthem (sic). The students at this institution were the first to sing this great 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Florida Normal. 1918, for expansion purposes, the Florida Baptist Academy moved from Jacksonville to Saint Augustine, its present loca- tion and settled on a 1100 acre tract three miles west of the Ancient City. Its name was then changed to Florida Normal and Industrial College. 1924, the first permanent building, Anderson Hall was erected; followed by other buildings: Bacon Hall, Fisher Hall Jonathan hewall Library and others. 1931, the college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Florida State Department of Education. i „ 19 ? 2 ' ° r Wil,iam Gra y was appointed president, following the death of Dr. Collier. He served until 1944, then was succeeded by Dr. John Tilley, the fourth president. 1942, the supporters of the defunct Live Oak Institute combined their efforts with the other Baptist supporters of the Florida Normal and Industrial College, thus the Institution became Florida Normal and Industrial Memorial College. 1945, the first four year class was graduated. 1950, Dr. R. W. Puryear was elected the sixth president. Some of the outstanding achievements of his administration are the following: u .i 951 pi th V°!! ege 3S accredited b V the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It was also approved by the Florida State Department of Education. F 1953 additions were made to Anderson Hall and to Jonathan Sewall Library. 1954 the school became a member of the Association of Colleges and The American Council on Education.

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Pickford Hall— Men ' s Residen