Purdue University - Debris Yearbook (West Lafayette, IN)

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History of Purdue University AS one reads over the history of Purdue University it is apparent that from the very beginning there was a spirit prevalent about the University which could not be denied. From the beginning it was destined to be a great university, but not even its most ardent wor- shipers fostered such dreams of success as the University now enjoys. Purdue University was organized under an act of Congress, passed on July 2, 1862, and accepted by the State of Indiana on March 6, I860. The State accepted from John Purdue and other citizens of Tippecanoe County, donations that amounted to $280,000. Instruc- tion was begun at Purdue in 1874 and the first class was graduated in 1875. Practically all of the courses at that time were administered in University Hall, which with Purdue Hall and Agricultural Hall, were the beehives of the campus. The whole career of Purdue University has been guided by five most worthy and capable presidents. Richard Owen was the first man to assume the duties of the Presidency of Purdue University, and it was he who carefully guided the University through the two forma- tive years of its career. James H. Smart succeeded President Owen and during the first year of his regime, six new buildings were added to the campus. The following eight years saw great progress in the University under the able leadership of Emerson E. White. Mili- tary Science was introduced, the courses systematized and two new buildings were erected. In 1883 the faculty included twenty mem- bers and the enrollment has increased to two hundred and forty. James H. Smart occupied the presidency from 1883 to 1000 and during these years great progress was made in the development of Purdue. The various engineering schools were organized, and sev- eral new buildings were completed. From the year 1900 to the year of his death, President Winthrop Ellsworth Stone guided the des- tinies of our Alma Mater with an unerring hand. The growth of Purdue University has always been steady and sure, and the Univer- sity now enjoys a prestige which is unsurpassed by any other engi- neering and agricultural University.

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[ Jfa gg feDBBRiy .gig History of the Debris THIRTY-FOUR years ago the class of ' 89 published the first Debris. This first volume of our University annual marked the beginning of one of the most important and respected customs of Pur- due history. Although the enrollment at that time was only slightly more than four hundred students and the University was still in its infancy, this enterprising class of ' 89 undertook the task of establishing this im- portant custom. The activities on and about the campus at that time were relatively few, and thus furnished little material for a Univer- sity annual. Literary societies and athletics, the two chief activities on the campus at that time, were naturally heavily stressed in this first Debris of one hundred pages. University and School histories were grouped as one of the main departments of the book. The book was plain, containing very little sketching or other art work. Never since the establishment of this custom has a year passed but that a Debris has been published. A marked and steady growth and improvement has been one of its chief characteristics, and the result of these years of experience has given us a book truly to be prized as the most cherished of college souvenirs. The departments of the book have increased from two or three to the present number, for which five hundred pages are required to describe the events of the college year. The progress shown by the Debris has been steady throughout these thirty-four years, for it has kept pace with the growth of the Univer- sity, and like the University, has outgrown the fondest hopes of its founders. A finer and more interesting record of the events and achievements of the University cannot be found in any publicatioi other than that which is accessible through the volumes of the Debrit It is published in a compact, neat and interesting form which relates the year ' s record of the University and of the student body. We sincerely hope that this volume will show the same degree of improvement over foregoing ones that has always been characteristic of the Debri faM cftgc

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To the Old Gold and Black Soon, like the colored leaves in Autumn time. That drift away upon the gentle breeze. Loosed from their grasps upon the mother trees. We, too, shall reach the season of our prime. Then shall this pomp and glory cease to be; The laughter and the music die away. And all the joy that marks the college day Shall soon become a cherished memory. But, heedless of the blackness of the night. Armed with the knowledge that we learned from you. We may not doubt the outcome of the fight. Nor fear the forces that we must subdue. Leading the conquest when all others lack, Your banner waves; The )ld Gold and the Black. .Majestic as a cloud-enshrouded spire. Towering alone above the level land. The projects of your many workers stand With manifold divergings. yet entire. Wrought in the minds of members of your clan. Every addition adding to the fame, Which, like a halo, sanctifies your name With well earned praises from your fellow man. When, after we have built our little bit, We may recline, and in life ' s eventide. Recall dear memories that ever flit Birdlike about the mind where they abide. With new adore we ' ll bring these glories back. And pledge once mure. The ( )ld Gold and the Black. — f. G. McC.