Illinois Wesleyan University - Wesleyana Yearbook (Bloomington, IL)

Page 17 text:

year 155 students were admitted. There was some talk in the early years of including young women, but this radical idea was soon abandoned as inex- pedient. So Illinois Wesleyaiu continued to admit young men only. The hrst teachers were Rev. Reuben Andrus and Rev, Williain Goodfellow--a faculty of two! An- drus was in charge of mathematics and natural phi- losophy, and Goodfellow of natural science. To- gether they handled the Latin and Greek. Andrus thus described their heavy load: The work of teach- ing went on all day, having classes in both depart- ments in nearly a full collegiate coursef, If the original choice of location for building the new university had been retained, various classes inside academic walls would have had their physical quiet and peace of mind often interrupted by the puffing and snorting of the Iron Horse, the new steam locomotive of the Alton and Sangamon Rail- road. Materials were already being unloaded on a ten-acre lot along the track on the west side of town when the founding fathers revised their judgment and began to seek a better place to build. Yet the proposed location gave Bloomington a College Street, now strangely inappropriate in that vicinity. Kappa Kappa Gamma, the oldest sorority on campus, in 1896. If you look closely, you may be able to see the key in some of the strangest places. In some of those sleeves there may have been enough fabric for a 1960 dress. No comment on the hair styles. Before the turn of the century, studied informality was in vogue for group pictures as in this 1895 football team shot. In 1910, under the leadership of Coach Fred Muhl, Wesleyan was to have l'The football team that beat Northwestern. Football was Wesleyan's first real sport. i , 5 g .Tamfefg Jaw? iii-wi--ge? LIITIIIIX .JBQ IKIHVK Jann Q hmm:

Page 16 text:

if 5,335 5 t - 'M Duration Ql.A.A.J basement once had an imposing brick superstructure known as 'lMain Hall. Its towers were modified about 1900 Ccf. p. 175 after a severe storm blew down the center one. The name of the building was changed to uHedding Hall in March, 1931, in honor of Hedding College, Abingdon, Illinois, which transferred its endowment and annuities to this university in December, 1950, after Wes- leyan's trustees had formally adopted its alumni in June, 1928. The courageous and irrepressible Rev. Peter Cart- wright, pioneer Methodist circuit rider and saddle- bagger, was no doubt the most picturesque of the Wfesleyan founders. He seems to have been largely responsible for bringing the embryo institution, at first a community proposition, under the patronage of the church. A man of little formal training, he worked tirelessly and gave considerable money to aid the cause of Christian education in or at the edge of the wilderness. He served as a trustee for 17 twenty-one years, till 1871. In other words, he almost died in office. His defeat of Abraham Lin- coln as one of a group of candidates for a seat in the state legislature puts a political halo on this very individualistic worker in the moral vineyard. The aftermath, however, came when Lincoln de- feated him for Congress by a vote of 6,540 to 4,827 Starting with an enrollment of seven on October 28, 1850, the institution grew to 45, all of prepara- tory grade, in january, 1851. In the second school

Page 18 text:

u 1 J I . li iii T if 5 . AFEBIZZJKST i s fillf4i2i3f5fiQ 5? C 'S 4 ug: : m , 5 9 gR :::5L-i-r ....A.... H aawirf . 1 8, N-.,. , ' 8 'Mfr' aeTHE9tf -easter 1 1 . . Z ' Fl 1 'f' . I ii L l V A Q. otrmsaa 23. fees. c QE 'E 1 2 -'--Bliik---we 5 . if ixdiuar, 'Sim Hadnmze. Qian Qupgufiz Ilqgauz per imma. 1, I TABLE OF CONTENTS. mironxaw ....... ..,.... ..,. n'x,Aw nBmuvrMr.:4'r....,,..., 11 LJTERLRY ymonarzneangio-s.xun.a PB.EP'AhA'YORY.......,. ...... .. 1 l x.-gi: ms. .,.. ............,..,.......a AULDL.ANBSlNB.....,.,.. 12 1 MZINRIETTA HRLL9. .,., ...... Z1 co Lac:-Events. .... 12 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 4 . Hwonmcimzv, hnmoxs. K Aff 'Jil l A ,,-- fi 5.aff,if Af,.,,L,, ,, The Werleyezn Bee, our first newspaper, was published between 1882 and 1887. The Elite journal appeared in 1887, championing barbarian fnon-fraternityj principles. The Athenian, with advertising on its cover, was published in 1890, supporting the cause of fraternities. The next campus was not acquired till June 24, 1854. It was bought from a nurseryman, F. K. Phoenix, for 382,000 This piece of ground, of two square blocks, is still the physical center of the Uni- versity. The present Old North Hall was erected in 1856, but left unfinished till 1857, when the classes that had been cancelled for lack of funds were resumed in the new building. An early catalogue fseconcl annual, 1858j paints a rosy picture of the recently completed academic hall, and incidentally of the tiny university: This is new, spacious and convenient, beautifully located in a pleasant grove in the north- ern part of the city. It affords the necessary accom- modations in the way of Chapel, Recitation Rooms, etc., for two hundred and fifty Studentsf, Up to that time the Methodist Church of Bloomington had housed all the activities of the slowly growing insti- tution. Illinois Wesleyan had a hard time getting a presi- dent, because of the pioneer experiment and the fi- nancial risk. Professor Erastus Wentworth was elected, but never served. Rev. Peter Akers was elected, but refused the post. Rev. John Dempster was elected, but was only a president in ezhfentiez, who may have occasionally visited the campus and yet probably performed no actual administrative duties or teaching. Rev. Clinton W. Sears was really the first president to hold office. He had previously acted as teacher, librarian, and fiscal agent, now he was chief executive, with a committee of five trustees to assist in managing the hazardous under- taking. His salary was set as 58800, to be paid in quarterly instalments. His term lasted only one year. The tough sledding of those early years is easily revealed in a simple note as to the total cash as- sets in January, 1853-the welcome, but alarming, amount of 817818. The first commencement exercises were held on july 7, 1853, with two degrees conferred, a B.A. and an M.A. The candidates were james Barger fthe trustee's sonj and Daniel Wilkins, jr. At the second commencement, in 1854, there was only one graduate, and he is said to have transferred from McKendree College for the purpose of furnishing Illinois Wesleyan with a graduating class! A unique situation in educational history was created with the election of Oliver S. Munsell as president in 1857 and the appointment of his two brothers to the staff. Charles served as financial agent and Edward as teacher. This triple threat from one family seems to have been a wholesome shot in the