Shorter College - Argo Yearbook (Rome, GA)

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T Col. Alfred Shorter. Page Eight 15

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tf ■ e CR i kftrl) nf Iprtrr LFRED SHORTER, business man, philanthropist and Christian gen- tleman, founded Shorter College in 1877. He spent $125,000.00 in buildings and left $40,000.00 for Endowment. His was a princely gift for those da s — the largest contribution to education ever made by a Georgian up to that time. For thirty-three years the College remained upon the site that Col. Shorter gave it, doing a notable work for the young xx ' omen of the Soutii. During these years the South was poor and nothing was added to the building or endowment. In 1910 it became apparent to the Trustees that the College must be mo ed to a larger site, new buildings erected, its standard raised and better equipment provided, or it would die for want of students. The Trustees decided to raise the money necessary to preserve the life of the institution. In this undertaking, the leadership was assumed b three men : V. W. Brooks gave $25,000.00 ; J. L. Bass gave his beautiful suburban home, including thirty-two acres of ground valued at $25,000.00, and J. P. Cooper subscribed $25,000.00 to which he added a large amount, no one knows how much, during the time that the new building was being erected. Subscriptions were asked of the people of Rome who responded with liberality and enthusiasm. Five large buildings, all fireproof, were erected and the College was opened in its new and beautiful site, October 17th, 1011. Since that time the preparatory school has been entirely abolished; entrance require- ments raised to fifteen units : four years of college work prescribed ; physical, chemical and biological laboratories installed making it possible for a student to major in either of these subjects ; departments of education and psychology established ; library increased from fifteen hundred to over seventy-five hundred volumes; forty new pianos purchased ; a three-manual pipe organ placed in the chapel ; a standard of work de- manded of students gaining recognition for the work of the college from leading colleges and universities of America; three hundred dollars invested in buildings and furniture and twenty-five thousand in college conservatory equipment. Also forty thousand dollars in cash has been added to its endowment with sixty thousand yet to be collected. This added to the amount which the college will receive from the Baptist $75,000,000 campaign will bring its total endowment to about $300,- 000.00. This has been done during the past nine years, during five of which the world was engaged in the greatest war of all history. ii oo ay ' . l fage Nine