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

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Richard Veranes, the first Cuban student to attend UM, c. 1930.

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1916 A scattered, rural populace inhabited South Florida. One of the final American frontiers, Dade County was unin- corporated until 1896. Possessed with a unique climate cool, dry winters, and tropical, balmy summers, the South Florida area had something about it that the res- idents appreciated. Others would grow to appreciate it, too. In February, 1916, in this brand new area, William Jennings Bryan espoused the idea of a Pan-American university for the first time. Bryan envisioned a string of six such schools stretched along the south- ern border of the U.S. He sought a method of bringing together the peoples of the western hemisphere through educational and intellectual interaction. The idea won immediate support from the residents. While no financial base existed for such a project, its concept stuck in the minds of Miamians as some- thing that was totally necessary for the growth and development of the region. Nothing happened for a few years, until the next important person voiced the proposal again. George Merrick, plunging into the booming Florida real estate bus- iness for good in 1921, had control of the Coral Gables subdivision, not yet incor- porated as a municipality. One of his selling points to attract new residents to the area was that a university would some day be located here. He intended the in- stitution to be a university center for the entire Miami area, which had no comparable schools at the time. The Miami Chamber of Commerce ap- pointed a committee in 1923 to devise a general plan of growth for Dade County, and the university became part of the plan. Here was an active and ambitious community

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T The San Sebastian Building, which housed service personnel during World War II, c. 1941 which wanted its image improved. Dr. Charlton Tebeau, Professor of History Emeritus: In those days, the people of Coral Gables looked upon the University as an absolutely essential asset for the development of the place and to show the proper image of Coral Gables. It was somewhat different from the comparative lack of sympathy between the two now. Of course, Coral Gables and Dade County both paid annual sums to support UM until it got sufficiently established. They no longer do, but this is part of what kept the University alive. George Merrick Otho Overholser, Assistant Professor of Business Law, who coached the fencing team, c. 1939.