Ripon College - Crimson Yearbook (Ripon, WI)

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ntil Novemf e year 1861f ded, owing :ress of the who was oc' uilding, conf iwn accountg iter became lij occupied g and taught Ember, 1862, ere being an lve thouszmd mssilvle to col' een made to zzicliers were stees elected , :is president icceptiince Il uf that year, cl four yezirs class grziduf tri report tcm fiutstzuidiiig tlie wurk of lle liuilelings zid lween prcif ifin ui' Mr. relatives of .Ll died swnw ml lvewl lu zip' nge Ill' nzune, A, Llie nzime -ii fi! lirueli' 'mal :flew ill iii' llllllhlllljl, Ill IH67, Ill' in lilllfrll. lll plz, m41llV!'ll' i,, Lift the chorus, speed it onward Shout from sea to sea Hail! to thee, our Alma Mater Hail! All Hail! to thee. 15

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the Rev. J. W. Walcott, minister of the Con' gregational church at Menasha, a former educator who had a little money, tO take over the proposition and hold it for the convention until the churches might take it off his hands, an agreement which was en' tered into by Mr. Walcott, who completed the building, and opened a school therein on June 1, 1853. This building is the main part of the present East Building. The first class to enter in June, 1853, were all young women, the male depart' ment not being opened until September of the same year. No college classes were formed and no college work was attempted. A second charter was obtained from the legislature Eeb. 9, 1855 , being substantially a reenactment of the first charter, it being feared that the former charter had become void through lack of corporate user for over two years. The convention voted to take the property over from Mr. Walcott, and directed the building of a dormitory at a cost of 310,000 The convention also asserted the right of denominational control, vacanf cies on the board of trustees to be filled by the board from nominations made by the government. This dormitory, for many years known as Middle College, and now known as Smith Hall, was begun in April, 1855, but was not fully completed until 1863. The delay in the construction caused a great deal of feeling, locally, public meetings of protest and condemnation were held, resulting in misunderstandings between some of the subf scribers to the new building and Mr. Wal' cott that proved most harmful to the growth of the college. In September, 1861, the buildings and SFOUHCIS Were granted to the government to be occupied by the First Regiment of Wis, consin Cavalry, and the East Building and the campus were so occupied until Novemf ber 28 of that year. During the year 1861f 2 classes were entirely suspended, owing principally to the financial distress of the college, but Mrs. C. T. Tracy, who was oc' cupying two rooms in Middle Building, conf ducted a private school on her own account, and Martha Wheeler fwho later became Mrs. George Paine of Oshkosh, occupied other rooms in the same building and taught music to private pupils. School was reopened in September, 1862, amidst great discouragementg there being an overhanging debt of ten to twelve thousand dollars, and it being almost impossible to colf lcct on the pledges that had been made to the support of the college. Teachers were nevertheless engaged. The trustees elected Reverend William E. Merriman as president April 23, 1863, and with his acceptance a new era began in earnest. The class entering in the fall of that year, was the first Freshman class, and four years later, in 1867, the first college class graduf ated. Dr. Merriman was able to report to his trustees in 1864 that the outstanding mortgages had been paid, and the work of completing the East and Middle Buildings had been done. Because of the friction that had been prof duced during the administration of Mr. Walcott and the brother and relatives of William S. Brockway fwho had died some years previouslyj it was thought best to ap' ply to the legislature for a change of name, and accordingly April 11, 1864, the name became Ripon College in lieu of Brock' way College. Dr. Merriman was instrumental also in the erection of West College building, ground for which was broken in 1867, the funds being largely subscribed in Ripon. In 1868, bv action of the Winnebago convenf 144 1

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5 F 'ta r 'wifi 5:rf1if'i1f:'f .5, fig JJ, if., tion, all denominational control was released since which time the board of trustees has been selffperpetuating, without dictation or influence from outside itself as to its mem' bership. Dr. Edward H. Merrell succeeded Presif dent Merriman in 1876 and served continf uously as president until his resignation fn 1891.1 Dr. Merrell, however, gave continf uous service to the institution from Septemf ber, 1862, to the time of his death in 1910. During his administration, Bartlett Hall and the wooden building, long known as the old laboratory and later as Athenian Hall, were built, and considerable additions to the endowment fund were collected. Dr. Rufus C. Flagg became president in 1892 and retired in 1900. During this pe' riod two staunch friends of the college were added to the official board: O. H. Ingram of Eau Claire, and Albert G. Earr of Chif cago, whose gifts and interest were many during the succeeding years. Ingram Hall was erected in 1899 and 1900. Dr. Richard Cecil Hughes served as president from 1901 to 1908, years of exf pansion for the college, during which the heating plant was installed, and Middle College was rebuilt with funds fromtthe estate of Elisha D. Smith of Menasha, and the building was rechristened Elisha D. Smith Hall. The old preparatory depart' ment became a thing of the past, and the college department increased in numbers. After the withdrawal of President Hughes, during the interregnum the present gymnasf ium was made possible by the generosity of Mr. Farr, who paid all of the bills incurred in its construction. Since 1909 Ripon College has been under the Presidency of one of its own graduates, Dr. Silas Evans, with the exception of about three years during which Dr. Henry Coe Culbertson was in charge. Two campaigns for building up the endowment of the colf lege, one in 1915 and one in 1924, were successfully carried through in this period under Dr. Evans. In this period also, the following houses were acquired: Sanford, Harwood, Duffie, Merriman and Lyle. Into the fabric of Ripon College has gone the lives of a great number of devout, chrisf tian men and women, whose sacrifices, and the sacrificial giving of a host of friends, have made possible the college of today. A Campus Scene of Testeryear '-- r-fi 1. ,. fy: . .fp -' lm 1 12,5--fffii K, rf --K ---s----. M- ...- --...-., vc., WM- fikfgsfji !fjif?p37,2,, 'ff fl, Q gf' JkgJJC.ma cf:1'il.',MllW ',g'Mf. , f iwfklf . 954fJ'lf'i' All 'ff fbtff M.. ,Hi1'a 'i fr a it it Wssffffsf Aff.'40,-'?svi'Q'1 I 11 15 '?2f1f---if-A.fi'l ii t Nw f V 15. 4 '11.114,-Jf'- 'a '-'-----N Allf '-f-'A-J ,f,-glfl, sm ,M xxx lm, .::.1:': '-' 4 - g w A- '- A ,rsvp-K Lw,.'!,,f '..ET.l,gxi- . 'Ti Q A Me' A fi - :j,5Lx.iQl.-1 . Slslfwyvf Ti. . S z 2, ig,g.gi1-'f4,jZg3,5. ' , ,f 2, i fJ,fi'h,.L-'.H'.,sHs5-iA5 K