Georgia Institute of Technology - Blueprint Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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1' Ki 'Y 4- 1,8751 Have brought progress, growth, and achievement, and have revealed the expansion of a school from a mere idea to a Hourishininstitution which ranlcs with the outstanding technical schools of the world. Georgia Te h began as a resolution of the General As- sembly of Georgia in 1882. This resolution established a commission of five men which, headed by the Honorable N. E. Harris, in 1886, chose Atlanta as the site for Georgia Tech. By means of an appropriation from the State, this commission purchased tive acres of land and erected on it two buildings-the Academic Building, which still stands, and the old Shop Building, which was destroyed by tire in 1892. Justly proud of these meag assets as a beginning, the Georgia School of Technology opened its doors on the sgenth day of Qctober, 1888. The nrst decade of Techqs existence was largely a period of entrenchment. It found the school digging in, seelcing a foundation, rather than growing to any appreciable extent. The campus consisted merely of two buildings and nine acres of rough, un- cleaned land, surrounded by a few unpaved, deeply-rutted streets. One hundred and twenty-nine students entered in the fall of 1888 and were divided into four groups: the Apprentice Class, now called Freshman, the Junior Class, now the Sophomoreg the Middle Class, now the Jiwworg and, the Senior Class. Later, due to the laclc of prep- aration of students, a Sub-apprentice Class was established and served until 1916 to instruct students in high school subjects. Dr. 1. Hopkins ed ably as Tech's first president until his health failed in 1896. He was succeede y Dr. Lyman Hall, Professor of Mathematics and a graduate of West Point. Mechanical Engineering was the only course of study available until 1896, at which time the demands of busi- ness for more specialized engineers brought about the installation of Electrical and Civil Engineering. This addition was the beginning of the most important evidence of Techqs growth-the constant increase in variety of its curricula. For the first few years no student activities or athletic sports existed at Tech. These began to develop in the nefdecade, under the impetus of the famous football game of which General Wood almost single-handedly defeated the University of Georgia. A period of slow but constant growth marlced Techqs existence from 1888 to 1898. Campus life became something other than mere class attending. The coming of an able director of athletics, Mr. W. Heisman, opened the door for inter-collegiate sports, and through that door a constant parade of outstanding athletes has passed, ever growing in quality and number. The M. A. was operating on a sound basis by the year 1907. The BLUE PRINT and Yeffow jacket came, established themselves, and fur- nished valuable experience for students in journalistic activities. Physical growth of the school was evidenced by the addition of Knowles Dormitory, the Textile Building, Swann Hall, the Electrical Building, the Presidentqs home, the Chemistry Laboratory, and the Library. Textile Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry came to fulfill the desires of students and industry for more variety in specialized engineers. Much of this expansion was the direct result of the able leadership of Dr. K. G. Matheson, who succeeded Dr. Hall as president in 1905. That Dr. Matheson labored constantly for the betterment of Techievidenced by the progress of the school during the next two decades. The next decade of Techqs history saw a marlced increase in enrollment. Under President Ha1l the number of students reached thesfiye hundred mark, but shortly thereafter a sharp increase brought the total to within one thousand marlc. By the J' I-IESE PIFTY