Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

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1m afEFSU The History of Morehead State University In the fall of 1987 the Uni- versity hosted a celebration of the 100th year of education in Rowan County. The previous century has seen 1 l presi- dents, five name changes and countless scandals, but most of all, it has seen growth. Today there are over 6000 Universi- ty students. 1887.Umma ness, illiteracy and discord marked the land. The infa- 1 . mous Rowan County feud hadjust ended, but there was still a distinct lack of har- mony among members of the community. It was this year that Phoebe Button and her son Frank made their way from Oquawka, I1., t0 the wild, untamed hill country of Eastern Kentucky to start the normal school which was to become the Morehead State University of today. A normal school was, by definition, one of the earliest professional schools in the United States for the training of teachers. The Buttons were asked to form this school to help end the illiter- acy and ignorance which were so prevalent in the area at the time. The first student to regis- ter at the Morehead Normal School was a young girl by the name of Anna Page, who officially registered on Oct. 3, 1887. Page began taking classes immediately in the Buttons home, which was lo- cated at the present site of the Adron Doran University Center. She was soon joined by other students from the area. The second person to register was George Johnson, father of former football coach Ellis T. Johnson, after whom the basketball arena was named. The state of the area was best described by Morehead attorney, I. Harlan Powers, at the dedication of Button Auditorium in 1954: uThis community was in turmoil at that time. Human life was of little value. Law- lessness was rampant in this area. The future of this coun- ty and this part of the state Aerial View ofthe campus in 1938. Just three years after it was saved from closing with donations from Senator Allie W. Young. PHOTO BY: Courier Journal, from MSU Archives Events 194 was dark and gloomy? Even so, the Morehead Normal School survived. One by one, buildings sprouted up on campus. iiAt that time the campus was less beautiful? said F rank Buttonis daughter, Ida, at the auditoriumis dedica- tion. On it were four unpre- tentious buildings . . . the roads around the campus were dirty and uneven .. . there were few modern con- veniences. iiI can still see students ar- riving on horseback or in wagons, with no advance reg- istration or money for tu- ition, but they had faith that here they could find the edu- cation for which they yearned? Miss Button went on to say that her father could never turn a student away. No one ever knew where all of the scholarships came from, she said. 1907.Hmms time the school had switched hands. It had been operated by the Kentucky Christian Missionary Convention from 1887 to the turn of the cen- tury, when it was taken over by the Christian Women,s Board of Missions. Phoebe Button had died in 1892, just five years after establishing the school. The pressures of her task, as well as the rugged conditions of the area, had taken their toll on her. Frank Button had resigned from the school because of his moth- er,s illness, but returned four years later in 1896. 1927...Five years previously the More- head Normal School had graduated its last class, and, under Frank Buttonis sugges- tion, the Christian Womens Board of Missions had donat- ed its buildings and grounds to the state. The school had lain dormant during the tran- sition from private Christian school to state institution during the 1922-23 aca- demic year. In 1920 Governor Morrow gave the following message to the General Assembl re- garding the state of e uca- tion in the Commonwealth:

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5,100fans rocked with REO Speedwagon during the November 20th concert. Lead singer Kevin Cronin said he preferred play- ing the newer songs but the concert was filled with both. PHOTO BY: jej?r S. Colquhoun An enthusiastic crowd greeted Richard Marx when he opened for REO Speedwagon. He performed two ofhis hit songs uDonit Mean Nothin, and iiShould Have Known Better. PHOTO BY: throughout the concert. This year Marx made it big on the charts with his hits Shouldive Known Better and Donit Mean Nothini. Marx presented cuts from his latest album as well as songs originally done by other artists. Some of these were El- vis Presleyis Little Sister and Stay With Me by Rod Stewart. Marx and his band were together all the way with a tight sound and electric stage presence. An interesting point was brought up when Marx introduced his guitarist, John Wamsley, as the actor who played Jason on The Waltons. iiDoes this guy look familiar to you? he asked, pinching Wamsleyis cheeks. F rom his new album Marx performed iiHave Mercy which he called his fa- vorite song, featuring a familiar guitar lick form Derek and the Dominoes, uLayla . He also gave fans a taste of his next album with a tune he had just writ- ten called iiLiving in the River. Marxis good looks, lively sound and incredible band combined to make an excellent opener for the feature attrac- tion. After a short intermission R.E.O. opened with their recent smash iiThat Ain,t Lovef, Well received by everyone in the audience, they showed fans how bands can last through a lot of years and still come out on top. After playing titles from their new al- bum, called Life As We Know It, the group strolled down rock and rolls memory lane with such classics as Take It On The Run and Keep On Loving You. Lead singer Kevin Cronin remarked after the show that although revamping oldies was fun he preferred to play new songs. He also commented about performing in this area. iiWe like playing smaller cities because the people really seem to appreciate our show. Incidentally, Mor- ehead has more pretty women than any other place Iive beenll, Morehead seemed to enjoy R.E.O. as well. The band played sixteen songs which most people in the crowd knew Kevin L. Goldy by heart. Their regular show finished with Ridini the Storm Out, but the audi- ence demanded more. The band com- plied with encores like Dont Let Him Go, Keep On Loving You and Time For Me To Fly. When asked the secret to their stay- ing power, bassist Neil Doughty said, uMany people in our audiences are real- ly young and some show up with par- ents, who are also fans. Our music isn,t dated; it fits in with each new genera- tion of fans. Lead guitarist Gary Richrath added, iiWeire all good friends. Weid have to be to stay together for 18 years. The band will still be rocking concert goers for 18 more years if the energetic performance they gave at the AAC is an indication. a By: Karen Craigo and Michelle Compton Concerts 193

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uThe deplorable condition of our rural schools compels your immediate attention. . . It is no exaggeration to say . we are faced with a crisis in rural education. Immediate relief must be furnished, or the doors of these schools, poor as they are, will be closed to the Children of the state and the general cause of rural education will be seri- ously hampered and retard- ed. A five-member Education- al Survey Commission was formed immediately to study the educational facilities of the Commonwealth and re- port the findings to the Gov- ernor. Its report indicated that the training level of the states elementary teachers was very poor, and that two additional normal schools should be established on ei- ther end of the state. The General Assembly made the resolution providing for these schools on March 8, 1922. It agreed to give the generous sum of $30,000 a year to operate and maintain the two schools. The eastern schoolis location was chosen to be Morehead. The first official act of the State Board of Education was the appointment of Frank C. Button as the president of the new Morehead State Normal School. The first term of the State Normal School began on Sept. 24, 1923, with a stu- dent body numbering 137 and a faculty of 10. During that year the School had a to- tal of 21 college students and 217 normal or high school students. At this time the tu- ition was two dollars a month or less, and room and board cost about five dollars a month. The first meeting of the Board of Regents was held on Apr. 15, 1924. Senator Allie W. Young, a member of the Board from this time until his death in 1935, gave the school a gift at this meeting which might well have kept it from closing its doors during its early years. An excerpt from the minutes of this first meeting reads as follows: iiSenator Young volun- teered, in the form of a mo- tion, that the Treasurer of the Morehead Normal School be authorized to borrow from him tYoungl any sum not to exceed $10,000, without in- terest, for the purpose of paying the running expenses of the school for the remain- der of the school year. This was endorsed with pleasure, seconded by Mrs. F ields, and carried unanimously? The school prospered, and in 1926 the name was changed to Morehead State Normal School and Teachers, College. Now the school had the right to give out bache- lor,s degrees, and was well on the way to becoming the fa- cility which is respected to- day throughout the state. In 1930 President Button re- tired to be replaced by Presi- dent John H. Payne. Also in 1930, the institutions name was shortened to Morehead Teachers College. Ten years after this was an- other landmark year for the school. 1940 was the first year the school was given the authority to issue a masters degree. The first recipient was F rank Inserni, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1942. His degree was in education. 1947 JMMe year before this, a political scandal rocked the College when the Board of Regents decided not to renew the con- tract of Dr. D. H. Vaughan. The colleges demise was pre- dicted by many, but the con- troversy soon passed and in 1948 the name was again shortened, this time to More- head State College. 1954 was the year Adron Doran came to the presiden- cy at the College. This ushered in what is often called the Golden Age of the University. Doran, a politi- cian with strong political in- fluence throughout the state, generated much revenue for the College. Doran had been a director of the state De- partment of Education and had served four terms in the State House of Representa- tives, including one as speak- er of the House. Doran,s wife, Mignon, after whom the Mignon Hall complex was named, was also well-known throughout the Commonwealth. She had been a fashion model, teach- er and musician before com- ing to the College. Mrs. Doran is best known for start- ing the Personal Develop- ment Institute tP.D.I.l pro- gram, which is still function- ing today. She taught the course herself, concentrating on proper etiquette and so- cial practices. 1967 .In 1966 the name of the institution had again been changed, this time to the name it holds to- day, Morehead State Univer- sity. Replacing Doran in 1977 was Dr. Morris L. Norfleet. Norfleetis term as president was marred slightly by a scan- dal, in which he and his vice- president, of fiscal affairs, John Graham, were accused of using the University,s property, personnel and equipment for improvements on Dr. Norfleetis farm. Through the Universitys tax- free departmental spending fund, Dr. Norfleet bought such items as paint and pipe for the renovation of his farm. Graham paid for carpet and other personal items through the fund. Dr. Norfleet and Graham were reprimanded for using iipoor judgemenf, by the Board of Regents. Although the two denied any impropri- ety, they reimbursed the Uni- versity $800. Also during Dr. Norfleefs term, a University admissions officer, Bill Bradford, was in- dicted on 12 counts of theft by deception and official mis- conduct in the first degree. He had told foreign students that they had to deposit large amounts of money with his office to show their financial security. Most of these stu- dents were from Iran. Herb F. Reinhard, who fol- lowed Dr. Norfleet, brought the University into the eight- ies. Reinhard was nationally known for his iidorm storms, in which he and members of his cabinet went to the resi- dence halls and talked direct- ly to the students about the problems they had with the University. Reinhard effected many changes through this practice; he was the presi- dent responsible for estab- lishing co-ed dorms on cam- pus. The Board of Regents de- cided not to renew Rein- hard,s contract, sparking a dissension among members of the University community. An organization called Stu- dents for Reinhard circulated petitions and boycotted classes in an effort to keep Reinhard in his post, but to no avail. Reinhard resigned on Mar. 31, 1986. In that same year, Governor Martha Layne Collins asked for the resignation of eight appoint- ed regents. Dr. A. D. Albright, former president of Northern Ken- tucky State University, came out of retirement to act as president until the appoint- ment of C. Nelson Crote, the 1 1th president of the Univer- sity. 1987. ms dent C. Nelson Grote was sworn into office in October. President Grote was no stranger to the University, having previously served as the dean ofits College of Ap- plied Science and Technol- ogy. Dr. Grote had served as Chief Executive Officer of Spokane Community College in Washington prior to re- turning to the University. Also in 1987, it was discov- ered that former President Herb Reinhard had been paid $50,000 to avert a legal bat- tle over the nonrenewal of his contract. Reinhard had been planning to sue the Uni- versity for the failure of the Board of Regents to give him sufficient notice. The history of Morehead State University is a history of great women and men, all struggling for the same pur- pose: to further education and the quality of life in east- ern Kentucky. Often today, the value of education is overlooked by the leaders and residents of the Com- monwealth. But the Univer- sity continues to'grow, and will probably continue to serve its students and the re- gion for at least another 100 years. 4 By: Karen Craigo History of MSU 195