Wake Forest University - Howler Yearbook (Winston Salem, NC)

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HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: THE PRESIDENT BREAKS GROUND AS OTHER DIGNITARIES LOOK ON. • ' . . . AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE . . . . . . AND NOW, JUDGE OLIVE, it gives me much declared President Truman in his address which was the pleasure to present to you for the College this deed keynote of the Ground-breaking ceremonies at Reynolda. for Reynolda on behalf of Mrs. Babcock and myself. WAKE FOREST COLLEGE 23

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Ground-Breaking: Truman, People, Heat, Dust, Reporters, Speeches, Bands, TV— History It might h.ivc liccn i group of students leaving for an out-of-town toiirball game, hut they wltc too dressed up. It might have been a group ot .students going home for the week end, but no one carried luggage. Actually, it was Ground-brealcing Day; and this most important group of people — to both the old and new akc Forest — was pre- paring to go to the ceremonies. Thirteen busses arrived at 7:i() and were soon decorated with gold and black paper as evidence of the enthusiasm beginning to pervade the occasion. By 8:20, some 500 students were read) ' to begm the Big Day. It seemed like an eternity going from one town to an- other. However, time was gained as the busses sped through town, crashing red lights and dodging in and out of trafHe — t hanks to the efficiency of local police and the State Highway Patrol, p ' inally, the busses reached the congested area of Winston-Salcm. A stop was made at the First Baptist Church for a delicious lunch prepared In- the w omen of the church. Highway Patrolmen and President 1 ruman and other officials, followed b - the busses, led the parade to the Rcynolda Fstate. Amongst the dust of red ela , ever ' one arrived, disappointed by what the - did not see and trying hard to imagine what they would see in 19. ' 4. Black .shoes turned a dingy gray. Perspirarion rolled off the faces of those prepared for cold weather. Bands pla)ed. Flags waved in the occasional breeze. Concession stands scattered about the grounds did a thriving business. Tele- vision and new sreel cameras rolled. Radio announcers told the nation of the event. The place bore a marked resemblance to the State Fair Grounds. Students were directed to a roped-ofl area which might easily have been mistaken for a temporary pig pen. Spectators stared w ith awe. Soon gray-haired and si]uealing students jammed inside the ropes, too. Various distinguished guests spoke before the program started. Bands serenaded each other. .And then, the great moment came — President Truman, escorted by a host of Secret Service men, arrived. Getting a glimpse of him was ne.xt to impossible, but most finally succeeded. After the singing of .America by the entire assemblage and the invocation by Dr. Ralph A. Herring, pastor of the First Baptist Church of VVinston-Salem, Dr. Harold W. Tribble offered greetings to the assembled guests. The Resolutions in Appreciation of William Neal Reynolds, Wake F ' orest ' s benefactor, by Mr. Irving Carlyle, representing the Trus- tees of the College, were followed by the presentation of the deed for the new campus by Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Babcock. Judge Hubert F. Olive, president of the Board of Trustees, received both the deed and a check for $1,000,000, presented by Dr. Casper C. Warren, chairman of the state- w ide fund raising committee. Greetings from other state educational institutions and from the City of Winston-Salem were given by Dt. ( iordon Gra -, Universiry of North CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES meets the Governor of North Carolina in a comradely hand- shake as Dr. Tribble looks on. These three were the most significant names on the day ' s program of the initiative event of the transition of Baptist Hollow. CHIEF ARCHITECT Jens Frederick Larsen and his son, Nils F. Larsen. meet with Carlton P. West to discuss plans on paper for the new Baptist campus liome at Reynolda. During file coming years the Larsens will supervise the transfiguration of tlteir plans in- to monumental Wake Forest with style all its own. 22

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Ground-breaking CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 Carolina PRSuknt. Following tin.- singing of IX-ar Old ' al L- I ' orcst, the Prcsitk-nt gave the principal address. In his speech, Mr. Truman reviewed briefly the I17- ear history of the College. He praised highh- the w ork of the College and paid trihiite to both the past andT resent leaders of the institution. Then he spoke on the international situation. The actual ground-breaking was performed ui front of the speakers ' stand after the prayer of dedication in- Dr. George D. Heaton, Charlotte minister. President 7 ruriian, Dr. Tribble, Judge Olive, and Mr. O. M. Mull, chairman of the Planning and Building Committee of the New College, broke the ground with a ribbon-decorated shovel. The program w as closed u ith the Doxology. Ground-breaking was over. It had been enjoyable, al- though some who had stood in the sawdust for three hours agreed that a radio version probabK ' would have been more enjoyal)le. A model of the new college was on displa ' . The grounds w ere inspected by all of those interested in the moving of the College. Imaginations went to work, and buildings sprang up from signs indicating locations. Hungry students returned to busses; some dug eagerK ' through the discarded lunc h bo.xes in search ot a bit to eat. With a promptness that almost resulted in leaving some of the students behind, the busses left at 4;00. Policemen ' s sirens screamed as the cavalcade rolled back to Wake Forest. Singing could again be heard. At 7:. 10, the busses arrived at the g ni, and the many weary students piled off. Some went to town to eat again; others went straight to bed. October 1 5 had indeed been a great day for Wake Forest College. It w as another step in the direction of a new and better Wake Forest, plans for which had been begun rive years earlier. In 1946, an income of more than $.V 0,000 in perpetuity from a trust fund of |10,. ' ;00,000 was offered to the College by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation on the condition that it move to VVinston-Salcm. After much thoughtful deliberation ot the College ' s best interests, the offer was accepted. The plans were developed rapidly. Reynolda, a portion of the R. J. Reynolds I ' .state, was chosen for the site; Jens Frederick Larsen as the architect; and Georgian-Colonial as the style of architecture. Contributions poured in from throughout the state and the nation, and the Fnlargement Program progressed rapidly. 25,000 PEOPLE. SWELTERING IN HEAT AND DUST, STILL TRY TO SEE WHAT ' S GOING ON. 24