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Page 23 text:
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• • • The Sixties Begin he Godfrey Years . . . What are they? What were they like? What happened to the man. the family, the school during the decade and a half since the tall, dark-haired educator at the peak of his career brought his family to Edmond to accept the challenge of Central State? It was in July of 1960 that Dr. and Mrs. Garland A. Godfrey moved into the 40-year-old President’s Home in the center of the 29-acre campus. Their two daughters Miriam and Anna Lee. had recently married. The two Godfrey sons, Joe Bill and John, both high schoolers, came with them. The residence—staid, but a bit shopworn—reflected somewhat the campus itself. To some it might have been a discouraging sight. As the energetic new President strode across the campus to look over the facilities, he saw 10 classroom buildings.from venerable Old North to those hastily constructed following World War II; two vastly over-crowded dormitories built in the thirties; a pulsating Student Union where the nearly 4000 students filled every booth and surged into the aisles between classes; the bam like auditorium; a mini-gvmnasium dubbed the “Snake Pit by basketball fans who squeezed into bleachers; a stadium so small that fans overflowed onto the sidelines and into the mud and snow, even behind the goal posts. With no one assigned to campus security, students and faculty fought over the few parking places on the Oval in front of Old North and those behind the stadium. Edmond residents complained that student cars blocked their driveways and took up space in front of their homes. The one bright spot Dr. Godfrey saw on his first tour of the campus was the nearly-new Max Chambers library, named for his predecessor. A fine facility, but designed for about 1500 students and already too small by the time it was dedicated in 1957. Where, he wondered, will we put all the students that are expected this fall . . . and the thousands more yet to come? Surely this would be one of the greatest challenges of his life. But building was something he knew about from his experience as administrator at Pryor and Durant, where he had already established a reputation as a “building schoolman.” There would be a way . . . His first thoughts turned to the faculty, the growing student body, the need for new programs in the age of Sputnik and computers, in the area of expanding, metropolitan Oklahoma City. As Dr. and Mrs. Godfrey stood in the receiving line to be greeted by the faculty, they met a dedicated group of some 100 teachers plus a handful of administrators and staff. Teaching loads were heavy, salaries low, and Central State found it hard to compete for bright young scholars who could afford to pick and choose when teachers were scarce and positions plentiful. And without a diversified, high-quality faculty, how could the programs be built to meet the urgent needs of students who would flow to Central State seeking the best in higher education?
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Page 24 text:
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ABOVE—Ashbury Smith and Dr. Godfrey study plans for a new building, the erection of which (BELOW) brings smiles of pleasure. ABOVE—A memorable occasion. Ground is broken for Central’s new Administration Building. ABOVE—Dedication ceremonies are held for the Broncho Fieldhouse and Wantland Stadium complex. 20
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