Tennessee State University - Tennessean Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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THROUGH THE YEARS AT TENNESSEE STATE When the spotlight is focused on the rise of a nation. state or institution, only a small portion of its facets arr: illuminated. Spotlighting Tennessee Agricultural and Inv dustrial State Universityk progress creates the identical problem of saying what is progress, where it begins and the points or signposts that, of themselves. symbolize the measure for that progress. From an individual point of view, one can take issuv with the importance of the events, but history has re- eorded that they occur, that they have. occurred, and that they have shaped the direction of this great Uni- versity. Through the years at 'I1Ct'messec State evidence of what we term progresseSU years of progress---lms pro- jected itself. Some of that projection of progress is prv- sentecl here for your perusal with the thought that fond memories of the past and bright visions of the future of AIma Mater might be just hwhat the tloetnr m'tlerrtl. And while you while away the hours with your copy of this pictorial memory hook, fvel pride in the fact that YOUR Univrrsity. 'l'ennessee AgrieuIth-tl antl Indus- trial State University at Nashville. has made tremendous strides3 both acadt'mically untl athletically in ht'r 50 yea 1' history. The activities of hm past at:- your prideful I'Jt'l'i- tag? and represent your IUUE'hHItDHl'H fur the future.

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Posing all the prcscnt-day doctoral tlcgrcc holders of our faculty on the Administration Building steps as was done in the Summer of :49 would present a picture resembling a Kentucky Derby infield wirc-hugging scene. Thishjust 5fty years after the very beginning at which time it could not be done at all for the simple reason that there wcre n0 doctoral degree holders to pose. Opening its doors on June 19. 1912 with its founder. William J. Hale, as first president, Ten- nessee State Normal School fm- Ncgrocs began its sometimes hazardous, oft-times arduous trek to- n'anl full-Hcclgcd land-grantism and enough fac- ulty mcmbcrs 10 mcct the needs of whatever cn- mllment figures appeared on the books during a given cm. This hgure had jumped from a mere handful in 1912 to 1,256 by 111:: time the present administration took over in 1943 and the rest of Il'lC statistical picture on the now Tennessee State College campus 1001:ch something like this: Physi- cal plant valued at $3,500,000. 28 buildings, 35 faculty mcmhcrs. Today: PhYSical plant $15 mil- lions, 36 buildings, 220 faculty mcmbers. By 1943 mcmbm's of tho community wm- uscd to seeing buildings 0n the South side of the campus 21.x well as on the North side where 1111 collage spm'trtl its original holdings. The South 51th wilderness had bt-r-n clcal'cd during the thir- tics 21an buildings PttCCtCtl thorn consitlorrrl morl- rm. chl-riquippc'tl. and mnrtt than atlvquatr. Faculty mcml'mts taught in plmszmt surround- ings anrl lwvrrlml thPir students to chapr'l in thr- luncy npw auditorium x-vlwnmrm' thP rhaprl hrll munrlrrrl. Administration