University of Florida College of Medicine - Retrospectroscope Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA In 1905 several institutions of higher learning scattered about the state were moved to Gainesville and were combined into one university. Since that time the University of Florida has steadily grown to its present size of approximately 15,000 students. J. Hillis Miller, president of the University from 1947 until his death in 1953 was the key figure in the early planning for the medical complex which bears his name. George T. Harrell, then research professor of medicine at Bowman Gray, was named dean of the College of Medicine in 1954 and construction of the Health Center was begun. The Medical Sciences Building was opened in 1956 and the Teaching Hospital in 1958. 17

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GAIN ESVILLE The College of Medicine with the rest of the University of Florida is located in the north-central Florida town of Gainesville. The surrounding countryside was described by a traveler in 1791: The extensive Alachua savanna is a level green plain. It is encircled with high, sloping hills, covered with waving forests and fragrant orange groves, rising from an exuberantly fertile soil. Herds of sprightly deer, squadrons of the beautiful fleet Sem- inole horse, flocks of turkey, civilized communities of the sonorous watchful crane mix together, till disturbed and afrighted by the warrior man. The warrior man made his first permanent settlement on the Alachua savanna with the founding of Gainesville in 1854. During the War Between the States two fierce skirmishes were fought between local citizens and Union raiding parties from the Federal bases at St. Augustine and JackSOI1Vill6. In the latter years Of the nine- teenth century the surrounding farms were studded by orange groves but a succession of freezes caused a change of crops. Gainesville remained a small farming and trad- ing settlement until the arrival and subsequent growth Of the UUiVe1'Si'CY of Fl01'ida- 16

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Spencer In September of 1961, to the Uni- Finlay versity of Florida at Gainesville Hall came the Class of 1965 to study medicine. 1 .N 18