University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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i 4» The Big Parade, 1912 lUit the eanli(|u;ikc of I ' Klfi and the subsequent destruction of the Faculty building in l ' J09, while in themselves calamities, issued in a result not altogether unfortunate, i ' revious to the earthquake, the ad- ministration hafl seriously consid- ered transferring; the College to Loyola, in the foothills behind Mountain View. I ' ledged support- ers, however, whose assistance was indispensable to the move, were, bv the 1906 financial depression, pre- vented for a time from donating any money ; and consequently the plan was tempor- arily dropped. The final decision, which was thus left hanging after 1906, was precipitated by the bm-ning of the Faculty Building: whether at Loyola or at Santa Clara, reconstruction had to begin at once. The Lovola idea was revived, but money had remained scarce, and at length Father Morrissey, the President, announced that the College would remain permanently on the Mission site at Santa Clara. The campus was then enlarged. Father Morrissey secured title to the heretofore public streets which ran through the campus, thus making a solid property of fourteen acres. Stables and ])oultrv yards which had been on the campus itself were removed to College projjerly some blocks awaw Flans were put under way for an extensive program of building. ( )n March 1 ' ' , 1 12, the new Administration Building, a reinforced concrete structure, was occupied by the faculty. It is now called Bergin flail, in honor of Thomas L F ergin, the first graduate of Santa Clara, who received the degree of luichelor of Arts in il 1X57. In Sei)tember of the same I year, the Senior class took pos- n session of the building now known — in honor of judge M. P. ( ) ' Connor and his wife, who were Bcn i„ Hall u, construction. 1912 benefactors of the College and l2ll

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President ' s Daw 1W5 addnicd in fcslivc olive, with triumphal arches at either end of the grotincls. The forenoon was spent in athletic contests, while the afternoon was given over to the memorahle flig ' ht. Jn justice and honur to MduI- L;i)mer ' , it must he said that, although the niddern ])lane is greatly imi:)r(jved, it is essen- tially the same as that in which Montgomery first llcw ahove Santa Clara. Professor Montgomerv was aided in perfecting his plane hy heather Richard P)ell, S. J., a true scientist, and until recently Professor of IMiysics at the University. Father I ' ell is an acknowl- edged authority on electricity. Me was the first, moreover, to demonstrate in western .America the practical working of Marconi ' s wireless. In July of the same year in which Montgomery made his flight. Father Kenna was succeeded in the office of President hy Father Richard E. Gleeson. It was during the latter ' s term of office that the earthqtiake of 1906, astonishing the world with the story of its devastation, visited California. The great disaster dealt more gently with our Alma Mater than with other institutions round ahout. I ut the historic California Hotel, a huilding of adolie, huilt as a wayside inn during the sad days follcjwing the suppression of the Mission, was lost. Previous to its destrttction, it supplied the hall for the Literary Congress, a society flourishing today with all the vigor it enjoyed during the time of Father lulmund Young and his illustrious students. The students ' chapel was likewise severely damaged. Ahout four years later, Decemher 2i, 1909, the Faculty Building, a wooden structure erected in the early sixties, was destroyed hy fire. This huilding consisted of three stories, the lowest of which had been the dwelling of the early Franciscan Padres. Had it not been for the timely and efficient assistance of the Santa Clara and San Jose fire departments, coti- pled with the heroic efiforts of the townspeople, the entire College would undoubtedly have been de- stroyed. As it was, the destruc- tion of the Faculty Building was a severe blow, perhaps the great- „, ,., . , .,,. . . . ,, 1 , ,, , A, , , z. , I lie old faculty builduiq the vionunq after the est that Santa Clara had sufi ered. ' fi,-c of 1909

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University — as () ' C( niiiir Mall. Td allow s])ace U r the ereelioii of this huildiii,;;, it was neeessary to remove the Aiidit(M-ium from the corner of Franklin and Alviso Streets Imck across the campus to the corner of Franklin and Lafayette Streets. The next stej) was the preparation of the Universitv courses. The Law FacuUy was installed, the foundations of the College of Fngineering were laid, and the lahoratory work of the Science Department was so organized as to supply a distinct Pre-Medical Course. In due time then the lj(jard of Trustees took advantage of the rights contained in the Charter, and on June 16, 1912, Santa Clara College became the Lhiiversity of Santa Clara. The occasion was a momentus one ; and it was worthily celel)rated. The Arch- hishop of San Francisco, the Most Reverend P. W. Riordan, presided at the Com- mencement, and blessed the new buildings. .At least thirty-five thousand ])eople were on the ground. . notable parade marched through the town. Then followed a series of beautiful tableaux, designed by Professor Charles I). South and executed under his direction, which gave the historv of the site, from the old heathen day and the coming of the Friars, down to the very occasion (jf the celebratif)n. Among those who took an active ])art in this event were some alreadv well known in Cali- fornia ])ublic life, and others, then al the beginning of their career, who have since attained to places no less honorable. At the beginning of September following, the Universitv oi)ened its doors and entered upon its new existence, with the Institute of Law and the College of Engi- neering fully organized and equipped, and the old courses of Letters and Science greatly enriched to meet the larger needs of the new day. During the scholastic year that followed. Father James P. Morrissey continued in office, perfecting his work in its many details. Jiut the labor of reorganization had been great. The anxieties consequent upon a change so fundamental as that from College to University were more trying even than the labor. With shattered health he retired in August, PM,i, and Father Walter F. Thornton succeeded to the Presidency. His term of (jftice promised to be uneventful : for, as the Universitv was well estab- lished, its development would follow naturally, and would call for guidance rather than impulse. On April 6, 1917, what had for three years ])een an ever growing jjrobabilitv l)ecame a reality. The United States entered the Great War. This was a thing to be reckoned with. The universities of the land saw the neetl of assisting the (iov- The 1912 croivd ivatchimj Charles D. Suulh ' s hislorical [ (Uiciuil af Santa Clara