University of Richmond - Web Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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he was called to the Presidency and on january 1, 1898. he formally accepted, taking office on june 24 of that year. The first thing that President Boatwright did was to campaign for enough money to erect a science building. In 1898 the building was completed and paid for. Soon after this he began raising money for a new dormitory to 2 e' iv A 1 ix!! ' .' Q. yt 2 its 24 ' , 75 F- -S' lk.. pr V' , - Scene OU fl'l6 Pl'CSEI'1t CEUTIPLIS. be situated on the Broad Street side of the campus, and this was erected in 1899. The success of these building campaigns, largely' due to the new Presidents personal efforts, stands as a testimony to the vigor and wisdom of his administration. In june of 1898 the Trustees voted to open the school's doors to women. The girls were required to be eighteen years old, or over, and to satisfy the President that they were fitted to enroll in at least three of a number of designated classes. They were to be eligible for all Ten degrees, distinctions, and diplomas that the College of- fered. Four young women registered in the session that followed. From this modest start the number of women students grew steadily until 1914 when changes that took place in the policy of the institution, provided for Westhampton College. g In the years that followed 1895 public sentiment had grown in favor of a woman's college. The campaign for the new school was started in 1906 and extended to 1913. The General Education Board offered 3B150,000.00 towards the formation of the new school provided that it be matched with 35350000.00 raised from other sources. Dr. B. C. Henning began the task of acquiring the funds but was forced to resign in December of 1911. President Boatwright thereupon took up the cam- paign and completed it. This fund made the building of Westhampton College possible. Prior to this, however, the Trustees of Richmond Col- lege had been pondering over the problem of expanding the institution with opinion divided as to whether or not the location should be changed. In 1910 it was decided to move the school to Westhampton on two hundred ninety-three acres of property, one hundred of which had been given to the College outright. At this time the Trustees provided for an rlZlfOl10llI01l.1' W'o111rnz'.f Coflege to be erected on the new campus. This plan of coordinate education was adopted. since many Virginians were opposed as to co-education. v ln the fall of 1914 the colleges occupied the new site and opened for work. It seemed that Fate must have been against this move because for the second time in the school's history a war dealt it a devastating blow. The Trustees had depended on financing the new enter- prise by selling the old campus, but the World War caused real estate prices to drop so low that the land could not be sold for a reasonable sum. Thus, the school for the first time was heavily in debt. After America entered the war, the government, in 1918, took over the new campus and used it as a hos- pital. This forced the College back to its old site where it remained until the Armistice when it returned to West- hampton. With the return of peace the price of land rose again, thus making possible the sale of the valuable old prop- erty. The revenue from this paid off the principal and interest on the University's debts and provided suf- ficient funds to finance the erection of the Chemistry Building. Once again the future looked bright for the University. As the first hundred years draw to a close, plans are already under way for a greater University. The pro- posed Student Activities Building is no longer a dream but instead is fast approaching reality. May Richmond further herself as much in the next century' as she did in the last.

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be crushed, and on October 1, 1866, thanks to the gifts of friends of the school, the doors were reopened, and classes resumed. At this time a Committee on Reorgani- zation advanced five recommendations which were radi- cal and significant in the general field of education. The most important of these was that the English lan- guage was to be put on the same plane as the ancient and modern languages. Richmond College was the first to make this change in Virginia. Steadily strength returned to the College until at the close of the nineteenth century the perpetuity of the College was reasonably certain. Due to the Herculean efforts on the part of the trustees enough money was obtained with which to erect new buildings. The first addition was the building of a center struc- ture for the original four-story edifice that faced Broad Street. On the first Hoor was the auditorium which seated some five hundred people. This building was completed upon the addition of the south wing some years later. Here was housed the library. When com- pleted the whole structure had the shape of the letter H. Two cottages which served as dormitories were soon acquired and a little later a dining hall, known to the students as The Hotel was added. This was a step forward, for it reduced to a minimum the expenses of the resident students. In the midst of the new buildings stood Columbia Hall, the original College building. Columbia, with its great rooms and halls, through whose doors many a col- lege student for over one hundred years has passed, still proud and erect stands as a constant reminder of yester- year in Virginia. It is the one remaining link between the old Seminary and the modern University. As the school grew in this post-war period, two societies made their debut on the campus, the Mu Sigma Rho and Philologian literary societies. The halls in which the societies met on Friday nights were well furnished with armchairs, rostra, rugs, curtains, and well selected libraries. Each so- ciety published a weekly paper, The Philologiah Clzzrric Gem and The Mzz Sigma Rho Star. The publications were not printed but were handwritten. This state of affairs could not con- tinue, so one boy, who possessed a small printing press issued a modest sheet called The ZVIe1'rz11'y. This later gave way to Monthly Mzzrizzgf, a stu- dent publication with the motto: Maiden Meditation, Fancy-Free. This periodical developed into The Richmond Coflege Merrezzger. The success of the literary societies prompted a few groups of students to form secret organizations. This move met with the disfavor of some of the friends and patrons of the College, but their objections were over- come and three fraternities appeared on the campus. They were Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Alpha, and Phi Delta Theta. Two of these organizations had halls on the fourth floor of the central building while the third one was located in the town. One of the men who helped the College the most during the critical years that followed the Civil War was Dr. L. M. Curry. He first served the College as professor of English, Moral Philosophy, and lecturer on Law, later he became President of the Board of Trustees. A great educator and an equally great gentle- man, Dr. Curry's name will forever stand as one of Rich- mond College's immortals. Thus, as we approach 1895, we come to the close of an era in University of Richmond history, an era of hardship and privation through which the College could not have endured had it not been for the strength of the men who guided its destinies. Now, however, the worst was over, the College had survived, the com- ing era could only be one of prosperity in which the school would undergo many major changes. In 1899 the Trustees of Richmond College voted to discontinue the policy, which had been in effect since 1865, of having the College administered by the chair- man of the faculty, and voted instead to have a presi- dent. The Trustees decided that F. W. Boatwright was the best suited for the position. Mr. Boatwright enrolled as a student at the College in 1883, and had been award- ed the Degree of Master of Arts in 1888. In 1899 he went abroad to study and at that time was selected for the chair of Modern Languages. On December 11, 1897, Columbia, now part of the Law School, was in 1854 the Main College Building. Nine

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Library nz' lzigbl. 2, . RiL'l,77Il0lld College Dining Hall CIIIIIPIIS winter sfezze.