Rocky Mountain College - Yellowstone / Poly Yearbook (Billings, MT)

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VICE-PRESIDENT REV. CLARENCE J. SPELLMAN DEAN DR. ERNEST R. WOOD BUSINESS MANAGER MR. MILTON A. ZIMMERMAN

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During the first world war the College of Montana was again forced to sus- pend operations. Montana Wesley an, which had just resumed work on the col- legiate level when the war began, managed to continue with a restricted pro- gram built around a Student Army Training Corps unit. In 1923, as a result of negotiations extending over several years, these two colleges united to form Inter mountain Union College which remained on the Helena campus. Year by year it gathered strength, bidding fair to become one of the outstanding liberal arts colleges of the Northwest. Then came the earthquakes of 1935-36 which so seriously damaged the Intermountain buildings that it was decided to abandon the campus. The school moved to Great Falls where it operated for one year. Meanwhile the going was rough at Billings Polytechnic. The depression brought its special problems to all schools and to Poly in particular. Lewis T. Eaton had passed away in 1934. It became increasingly difficult for one man both to direct the educational program and to raise the budget. So, in June 1936, President E. T. Eaton invited the trustees of Intermountain Union College to a home on the Polytechnic campus. This invitation was accepted — IUC coming to Billings that fall. In an affiliation which lasted from 1936-47, Polytechnic offered vocational training, industrial arts, and lower division work. Diplomas were issued in the name of Polytechnic-Intermountain. In 1947 final steps were taken to form Rocky Mountain College by the union of Polytechnic and Intermountain. The new school, the oldest and the youngest in Montana, is an official college of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congre- gational Churches. After a visit of inspection by a representative of the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools in the fall of 1954, the full accreditation of Rocky Mountain College was continued. It is the only Protestant Church-sup- ported college in an area approximately 800 miles square. With these traditions in mind, let us look upon this anniversary year as a commemoration of our seventy-five years of growth. The members of the Yellowstone staff wish to express their appreciation and thanks to Mr. W. A. Redfield, an alumnus of Montana Wesleyan College — Class of 1923, whose compilation of the above history made our task much simpler. Below is a picture of our college (then the Billings Polytechnic), taken from the rims in 1913. The largest building in the center of the right-hand group is the gym before being recovered with stone. 1tu ■ '

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Among those pictured are three gentlemen who represented our three major denominational Boards of Education. They are Mr. Faye Campbell, Representative of the Presbyterian Board, Mr. Myron F. Wicke , Representa- tive of the Methodist Board; and Dr. Philip Widenhouse, Representative of the Congregational Board — later appointed as our new president. L to R: Front Row: Mr. William Mackay; Mr. John M. Dietrich, Jr. ; Dr. Ernest R. Wood, Dean of College; Dr. Herbert W. Hines, President of College, Mr. Henry Lohof; Mr. Faye Campbell, Representative. 2nd. Row: Dr. George E. Stickney, President of the Board; Mr. Glenn E. Seitz; Mr. Clyde A. Cromwell; Mr. Myron F. Wicke Representative; Dr. T. F. Rutledge BeaTe Mr. Milton A. Zimmerman, Business Manager of College. Back Row: Dr. Philip M. Widenhouse, Representative; Rev. George Harper; Mr. Roger Robison; Rev. Clarence G. Spellman, Vice President of College; Mr. Ronald Ries. (Not Pictured: Mr. Oliver M. Jorgenson; Rev. Gale G. Prentice; Rev. Wayne Larson.) CONVICTIONS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES The trustees of R. M. C. are convinced that Christian ideals and values are basic in the education of an individual. The menace of education devoid of Christian ideals and moral integrity is revealed in the blossoming of pagan education in Soviet Russia. The trustees seek to build an institution in which the individual student can discover and develop his God-given potentialities, where the whole man may be educated and made a constructive member of society. They do not seek mass production (or conformity) in education. Such an institution must be academically excellent. Its faculty mus t be well educated, continually studying on their own, able to inspire in students a passion for knowledge, and themselves be possessed of a Christian orientation. Quality education is expensive. At the present time student fees at R M C pay about a third of the operating cost of the college. Tuition and fees are being raised in practically all institutions of higher learning. This trend will doubtless continue. Through increased scholarship funds, the trustees will endeavor to see that gifted students who need assistance in order to attend college will receive aid. As trustees of a church-related college, we look to the members of the churches for intelligent interest. Their sense of responsibility for the welfare and progress of R.M. C. will enable it to make an invaluable contribution to- ward the preservation of freedom and the future strength of our country. by Dr. George E. Stickney