University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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Donation pledges had been made and Flori- da ' s economy was ex- panding so rapidly that no one doubted the pledges would be paid in full. Sorority teas were frequent and well-attended during UM ' s early years, c. 1947. ation pledges had been made, and Florida ' s economy was expanding so rapidly that no one doubted the pledges would be paid in full. The single most important donation came in the form of a gift of land. The area that the campus now occupies was fur- nished by George Merrick. At the time, the land was nothing but uncleared woods. Money was soon raised to construct the University of Miami ' s first structure - an administration building. Sitting amidst acres of forest, the cornerstone was laid on February 4, 1926. The event was widely noted in the small community and a throng of 7000 attended that initial ceremony - the first public function of the University of Miami. The three-story, 50 x 600 foot structure was projected to open for business on October 15 the first day of University operation. But financial complications and a failure to raise needed capital due to the bad rep- utation of the Florida land business forced the Board of Regents to plan an alternative. There was no way for the Merrick Building to be completed on time. On June 11, the incompleted Anastasia Hotel, a large triangular structure in Coral Gables, was taken over by the Univer- sity. Planned as a temporary building,

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Ever since 1926 Hurricane football has been the focal point of campus activity, c . 1943.

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Anastasia never fulfilled its original purpose. It served the University until the early 1960 ' s. On July 8, 1926, when it became pain- fully apparent what was going to happen if construction on the Merrick Building continued simultaneously with preparations of the Anastasia building, Executive Sec- retary of the University Bowman Foster Ashe transferred the entire Merrick work force to Anastasia. It needed to be floored, roofed, and have partitions installed to separate the classrooms. Tempor- ary walls of studding covered by cardboard prompted the naming of UM Cardboard College. While many snickered about the thin walls that students could hear through, it was actually a blessing in disguise. The adaptability of temporary partitions to any size requirement was an important asset during the University ' s difficult first decade. A spirit of cooperation encouraged everyone to lend a hand to the struggling effort. Dr. Melanie Rosborough, Professor of German Emeritus, recalls: Dr. Pearson got down on his knees before the school was opened and painted the floor and made tables on which he placed wooden crates used to ship law books. Specimen bottles were then place in the crates, and that was really the beginning of the Marine Science lab. In this way, everybody helped to make do. The retention of faculty was based on a similar esprit de corps. Carrying two degrees in Math, Dr. Rosborough in- quired during the first year if there were any advanced courses she could teach. Mr. Hale, the Registrar, told me UM hadn ' t gotten that far yet. But he asked me about various things, including whether or not I knew German. I was brought up to be bilingual, so I said yes and gave him my background. He told me that UM needed a German teacher very badly, He told me that UM needed a German teacher very badly, but that it couldn ' t pay enough. I won ' t even mention the amount because people don ' t believe it. Henry Fillmore, honorary conductor of the UM Band of the Hour, c. 1935. 8