Wilmington College - Wilmingtonian Yearbook (Wilmington, OH)

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David Dennis Third President, 1879-1881 David Dennis, professor from Earlham College, came to the presi- dency in 1879. He taught Latin and Greek, and his wife, Mattie C. Dennis, taught rhetoric and grammar. William Cul- len Dennis, who became president of Earlham College at a later date, was a small baby when his parents came to Wilmington. These two teachers gave vigorous service for two years, after which time President Dennis went to graduate school, later to take up his former chair at Earlham College. In the early days, ilmington College depended considerably on Earlham College for its leadership, as shown py the training of the early presidents and members of the faculty. Dennis is one of the sreatest scientists to come from Indiana, hav- ing introduced the “modern” laboratory meth- ods in both chemistry and biology. It was President Dennis who started the first endowment for the permanent support of the College. James B. Unthank Fourth President, 1881-1903 James B. Unthank who had been a member of the faculty of Wil- imington College for seven years, took over the presidential duties in 1881. He was a classmate of Benjamin Trueblood at Earlham College and came to Wilmington with him in 1874 as a teacher of language and his- tory. President Unthank was an able teacher and organizer. He strengthened and added to the departments of the college. Many old debts were paid off and the endowment was increased which totaled $31,000 at the time of his leaving in 1903. The library was in- creased to 3500 volumes, which were partially classified, and a library room equipped. The science laboratories were developed, along with a natural science museum. A gymnasium and an astronomical observatory were erected. The college buildings were modernized by adding hot-air heating plants in 1898. He gave strong emphasis to the spiritual | needs of the students and established strong connections between the church and the college. The enrollment rose to the highest figure up to that time in 1899, when 150 students enrolled. The size of his faculty increased to 10 members. He gave to the college twenty-nine of the best years of his life. This long period of service carried the college through a critical period and placed it upon a higher lane. ; He built a home for himself on College Street which is now the resi- dence of Miss Elsie McCoy. He resigned in 1903 to return to his former ay fae

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This quotation was probably written by Benjamin Trueblood and gives the theory of education or that day which emphasizes the value of mental discipline and that one learns to understand and speak his mother tongue best by studying the Greek and Latin languages. The college year was first divided into three terms of twelve weeks each; later fiiteen weeks was given to the tall term to make it extend up to the Christmas holidays. his plan was tollowed until 1914, when the semester plan was adopted. Much can be said in favor of this plan, as it divided the year better than either the modern quarter or semester plans. The great disadvantage was in evaluating the work in units when terms were of different periods of time. Students in that day were not so “credit-hour” conscious as they are today, as the diploma was their goal and served in place of transcripts when transferring or securing a job. The tuition for the courses was one dollar per week, $15 for the fall term and $12 for each of the other two terms. ‘l'his cost of education was held to strictly and maintained almost as a tradition until 1903 when it was raised to $1.25 per week. Wilmington College has always been an opportunity school seeking to give educational training to all. Two bachelor degrees, the A. B. and B. S., were given from the be- ginning of the college. A third degree, the Master’s degree, was also given. A student after three years of successful service, particularly in the teaching field, could apply for an examination, and upon the presen- tation of a suitable thesis and the successful passing of the examination be granted the Master’s degree, which was regarded as a teacher’s de- gree. Ellen Wright was a member of the first graduating class of 1875, and at a later date was granted a Master’s degree from Wilmington Col- lege. The period served by President Trueblood was perhaps the most strenuous one in the history of the college. During his administration in 1878-79, because of lack of funds, there was a feeling that Friends should give up the management of the college. To meet this situation, a group - of 104 faithful Friends, of which Jesse Starbuck of Dover was president and Richard Greene was secretary, guaranteed necessary support to the college for a period of five years. In 1879, after five years of splendid service, President Trueblood resigned to accept the presidency of Penn College, Oskaloosa, Iowa. He attained fame in life through his efforts in promoting world peace. He served twenty-five years as president of the American Peace Society and was one of the founders of the Perma- nent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. : The Trueblood family resided in Twin Ash Hall. The late Eva Ross, . as a student in College, cared for the young children of the Trueblood fam-— ily. They gave to the College a youthful spirit of self-sacrifice that was so badly needed at that time. This same spirit of sacrifice spread to all : the friends of the College, giving an increased impetus to their efforts to carry on under strenuous difficulties. The Truebloods set a standard of excellence that has prevailed throughout the years. A great sorrow came to the family in the loss of their first-born and only son, Irvin, who now lies buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery, Wilming- ton, with his parents. oy | ae

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home in Webster, Indiana. President Unthank lies buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery in Wilmington. Albert J. Brown Fifth President, 1903-1912 Albert J. Brown, a graduate of Leland Stanford University, and a prominent minister of the First Friends Meeting in Indianapolis, began his duties as president in the fall of 1903. He was a scholarly man and an able public speak-: er. He was a strong promoter and able to place the college before the public in a very forceful manner as. evidenced by two suc- cessful financial campaigns, one in 1904-06 and the other in 1910, bringing the endowment from $31,000 to $80,000. In the 1910 campaign, 510 subscriptions were received from individ- uals outside the Friends meeting. President Brown was a man with a mag- netic personality. He made friends easily and was loved and respected by his faculty, stu- dents, and hosts of friends. He was greatly in demand as a public speaker and carried the name of Wilmington College far and wide. During President Brown’s administration, many improvements were made in the physi- cal plant. The gymnasium was enlarged with modern toilets added. The athletic field was graded and a grand stand erected. Twin Ash Hall was purchased in 1904 from its private owners, and Bailey Hall of Science was erected in 1908-09. In the course of study, many improvements were made and new departments were added. One of his big achievements was the better- ment of public relations between the college and the community. President Brown lived in the home on West Main Street, now the residence of Dr. Kelley Hale. He drove a black horse to his work at the college. His daughter, Althea, and son, Sidney, were graduated from the college. He resigned in 1912 to accept a position with the Farquhar Furnace Company. Samuel Hodgin Sixth President, 1912-1915 Samuel Hodgin, a graduate of Harvard University and professor of English at Guilford College, became the sixth president in the fall of 1912. President Hodgin was at Wilmington only three years, but he accomplished much in the way of reorganization. His first task was to reorganize all the courses in the college with an attempt to standardize them so that they could be credited and evaluated for transcript purposes. The three-term plan, adhered to from the beginning of the college, was changed to the semester plan of the present day. The writer of this article regrets that the term plan—which was almost the quarter plan, with only a slight dif- ference—was not made into the quarter system. The Ohio State Univer- Say De