Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

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III II -JF E ' To Include All Fraternities on Campus the church, was the first of a series of improve- ments which eventually included a new chancel rail and a new organ. It was soon afterwards that the interior of Taylor Hall took on its new look. In an all-out effort on the part of the alumni, Lehigh ' s most venerable dormitory, which had been built in 1907 with the funds given by Andrew Carnegie, was given a complete renovation. New lounges, new lavatories, redecorated dormitory rooms, all were a part of the project. In our upperclass years, projects were under- taken that, when finished, will substantially alter the Lehitrh skyline. The most startling announce- ment was that concerning Fritz Laboratory. ATiSw seven-story addition to Fritz Laboratory is to be built. The addition, itself, will dwarf the original structure and will house the world ' s largest ten- sion-compression-testing machine. Made possible with the co-operation of the Bethlehem Steel Company, this 5,000,000 pound machine will permit studies to be conducted on the largest steel forms now fabricated and under test circumstances previously impossible anywhere. The addition of this new machine and building will enable the University to offer even greater opportunities for study to students and to industry. We have wit- nessed the ground-breaking ceremonies and the start of construction. We will look forward to at- tending the dedication of the building as alumni. It was the half-time of the first home game of our senior year when Mr. Grace, President of the Board of Trustees, stood before the microphone and dedicated the 4.000 new seats in Taylor Sta- -dkHnr-rOkiaglv he said that thev were constructed of a new type soft steel. They truly did not seem soft that afternoon as we cheered the Big Brown to victory. To many of us it seemed that the new stands had sprung up almost overnight, providing us w ith as fine a view of an athletic contest as one can find. In the future. Lehigh ' s traditional classic 11

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lekigk ' s J 00-year plan GREAT things have been happening at Le- high University. It is not often that an under- graduate, in the short span of four years, has an opportunity to see a great University grow still greater. We of the Class of 1954 have had an ex- ceptional opportunity to see at work that process which has made private education a bulwark of our American democracy, for it was in our years that the Lehigh Development Program was unfolded. The Class has come to know of Lehigh ' s goals and aspirations as the 100-Year Plan . In actu- ality, the term is a misnomer, for the plan, in its essence, states that Lehigh needs additional en- dowment and certain buildings, and that we want to get them as soon as we possibly can. It is a comforting thing to know that Lehigh ' s course has been planned well into the future and that we are part of a dynamic institution. If the pace that the Class of 1954 has witnessed is maintained, we feel certain that these goals will be reached, and in a relatively short period of time. The Lehigh brand of education has a unique- ness which provides that extra something found in Lehigh men. Perhaps this stems more than anything else from the rare blend of the three colleges which permit an engineer, a business- man, and an arts student to live and work to- gether. We are glad to see that the Lehigh of the future is moving further in the direction of the inter-dependence of the separate colleges. Within this context it appears to us that Lehigh ' s future concerns itself with the problems of attracting the best possible faculty and bringing to the campus the finest possible students. How many of the Class of 1954 actually recog- nized the hand of the Development Program as it touched the campus and added to our lives? Dravo House and the new Taylor gymnasium were its first efforts. The consecration of the new alt,ar in Packer Memorial Church was an important event in our freshman year. The erection of that altar, made possible by the aid of the William P. Starkey family, together with a redecoration of v s.wm f ■ -V L fr 2£S$«i. u s£! ito ' W Not Entirely on Bricks and Mortar

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w ith Lafayette can be played on South Mountain. We should not dwell entirely on bricks and mortar, and it would certainly be a mistake not to mention the wonderful gift of old English Boxwood that adds so much to the campus appear- ance. The boxwood, now attrac- tively situated along the walk to and about the grounds of the Ad- ministration Building, was col- lected over a long period of time and donated to the University by Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Hutchinson. The collection contains ninety- seven pieces of English dwarf and tree boxwood, some of the speci- mens being several hundred years old; one magnificent box- wood in particular has a spread of seventy-five feet. How often did we wish that the crumbling, clapboard eyesore called the Health Service, could be removed? Fortunately, our senior year brought forth the wonderful news that Lehigh would have a modern, beautiful Health Center conveniently lo- cated close to the campus living groups. A challenge gift was of- fered to the University in which the donor offered to match all contributions from alumni and friends up to a quarter of a mil- lion dollars. At graduation came the announcement that the goal had been achieved. During the Fall of 1951, at the commencement of our sophomore year, we saw another addition to the Lehigh scene; the opening of the modern Sigma Phi fraternity house. Most fraternities which are now situated off-campus have individual plots of land on South Mountain. To include all frater- nities on campus has long been the desire of our L T niversity, and gradually we see that this Lehigh goal is being attained. In the same light, in our senior year we had the good fortune to see this par- ticular phase of Lehigh ' s overall ascension still further increased, this time in the completion of the ' The New Altar in Packer Memorial Church