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

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r UM students go to a day at the races, c. 1949. the course, I walked into the class and there were only 11 students left. The rest of the boys had been called for and had to leave. It was felt that all these cadets should have some experience in mapping out courses over enemy terrain under simulated flight conditions. One of the methods my class used to accomplish this was the construction of a small platform on the top of the Coffin Tower, at one corner of the Anastasia Building, under which was painted a huge map of central Europe, spread all over the ground below. This was the area they would probably be flying in. They then had to map their courses under terrific noise conditions so they would have to think and concen- trate while bombing was going on. In order to raise a lot of din, tin garbage pails were banged together. While mis usage of UM for training purposes was a clever way to keep the University strong, it was also an abso- lutely essential means of keeping UM alive. Dr. Tebeau: If the University had not been converted largely into a training center, the severe reduction in enrollment might well have forced its closing for economic reasons. The student body was composed largely of men of military age who would have left UM vir- tually empty. The expansion of the defense train- ing was limited only by lack of class- rooms and housing for trainees and their officers. In consequence, UM emerged from the war with its facilities increased and its credit and financial position im- proved, ready to move forward with the rapid expansion of the community. A radical change was in the near 19

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lize on it. With the war just around the corner in the early 1940 ' s, planning was underway in the United States for the war effort. There was a debate at the time Should the armed forces utilize existing facilities or build new ones for the training of service personnel? Offering the University of Miami as a testing ground and a perfect place for service training, Dr. Ashe man- aged to get the U.S. government to agree to use the existing facilities of UM in the training of RAF pilots from Britain. The program proved successful and the govern- ment was convinced that existing facilities would be in the best interests of the armed forces. Thereafter, the Miami area became one of the main training centers in the nation for all branches of the services. Dr. Melanie Rosborough remembers: First the British cadets of the Royal Air Force came here to train. They lived at the San Sebastian Building with American aviation cadets. Then the war broke out and Miami obtained the Navy V-12 and V-5 programs, and the Army Civilian Defense Training Program. Over 3 4 of our men students were in uniform and it was really amazing how much this school could do for them. Thousands and thousands of armed forces personnel were sent to Miami Beach to get officer ' s training, so they became acquainted with this area and they liked it. This is one of the main reasons for the sudden growth of the Miami area im- mediately after the war. Boys then were just eager to sign up and get into the war. The attitudes of the boys were totally different from the other recent wars. They were extremely idealistic and felt that they were working to save the world for democracy. They were all absolutely sincere. I taught a class in Air Navigation with 42 students. In the third month of 18 The halftime activity at the UM-Stetson basketball game in 1953 was a football free-for-all.

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future, and UM knew it. The 1945-46 school year saw 2000 students register for classes. One year later, the enrollment figure jumped to just under 7000, including 1000 students totally separated from the main campus. For two years, they lived at South Campus, once the Richmond Naval Air Base, which was located 12 miles from Coral Gables. There were housing, food and recreational facilities for about 1100 students who lived in converted officer ' s quarters and barracks. Warehouses became classrooms and admini- strative offices were in the Officer ' s Club. However, most of the students assigned to South Campus were less than pleased with it. Feeling cheated of the main campus activities and atmosphere, the students were unhappy, alt hough this situation only lasted for two years. It was at this point that the main campus had been finalized. For awhile, there was some question within the Board of Trustees as to whether to expand the present campus surrounding the Anastasia Building, move to the main campus where UM is located now, or perhaps even move to Key Biscayne for an island atmosphere. In March, 1946, the word came that the Merrick gift would be the final campus. At the end of that period, in 1948, on-campus apartments were finished the first housing provided on the new main campus and the Richmond Base was no longer used. The main campus had begun to take shape. The Memorial Building had been finished and even the Merrick Building, having stood incomplete for 23 years, was opened for business. This intense flow of new students strained all the resources on the campuses to their breaking point, and still more space was needed. Dr. Ros- borough: The University had to rent whole sections and entire apartment buildings down on 20th Street and on 3rd Avenue. They then sublet these units to faculty who had been hired to accommodate the new masses of students. It was usually a year or two before newcomers to Miami could find the lifestyle and dwelling they were looking for because of the tremendous flood of new residents. In the meantime, these were like faculty dormitories. A UM promotional gimmick, shot in New Jersey, c. 1954. 20 The annual alligator pond dunking at the Anastasia Building patio, c. 1937.