Wilmington College - Wilmingtonian Yearbook (Wilmington, OH)

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June, 1928, put an end to the project. Dr. Williams was a man of dynamic personality and was much in demand as a public speaker. As owner and editor of the magazine, THE OHIO TEACH- ER, he was well versed in the methods of pub- licity and able to place the value of college effectively before the public. This magazine, on his death, issued a special edition praising the state-wide work of its capable editor. Dr. Williams’ funeral was held in the College gym- nasium. “Tt is not sufficient to say of this man— that he was a good man; he was more than that—he was a most useful citizen, endowed with great capabilities which he employed to the fullest for the advancement of the cause of education and good citizenship in our State.” This is an excerpt from the June, 1928, issue of THE OHIO TEACHER. Beverly O. Skinner Ninth President, 1928-1931 Beverly Oden Skinner, graduate of the University of Chicago and Ohio University and superintendent of the Marietta Schools, came as president of Wilmington College in the fall of 1928. President Skinner’s ambition was to raise the standards of Wilmington College to meet the requirements of accrediting agencies. To achieve this goal he carried out two finan- cial campaigns. The first campaign in 1929 was for a $100,000 sustaining fund, which was successfully completed, having been headed by him personally and assisted by his faculty and Board of Trustees. The second campaign in 1930, for $500,000 endowment, was not suc- cessful because of the national financial crash which came in full force at that time. President Skinner lived at..Peterson Place. He resigned in 1931 to accept the appointment of Director of Education for the State of Ohio. During the period that intervened between the leaving of President Skinner and the coming of his successor (1931-1932), Dr. O. F. Boyd, of the Department of Chem- istry, served as acting president for the school. Dr. Walter L. Collins Tenth President, 1932-1940 Dr. Walter L. Collins, graduate of Lebanon National Normal Univer- sity, Wilmington College, and the University of Cincinnati, and supervisor of graduate training in the University of Cincinnati, took over presidential duties in the summer of 1932. Dr. Collins came to the college during the Biot

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physical plant and improving its appearance. The following additions and changes were made in the physical plant: The campus was improved in appearance by trimming the trees and removing many unnecessary ones. Twin Ash dormitory was remodeled and a third story added; Douglas Hall was purchased; Kathryn Denver Memorial Hall was built; the third floor auditorium of College Hall was made into its present form; the old study room was equipped with opera seats for chapel; the music building was pur- chased from Samuel Glass; the Yearly Meet- ing Auditorium was made into a gymnasium; Wright Cottage and the house next to it were given to the college by Ellen Wright; the three small houses to the south of South Hall on Whittier Place were purchased; the property at the southwest corner of Douglas Street and Whittier Place were purchased; the property at the southwest corner of Douglas Street and Whittier Place (now the home of Coach Shelly) together with two acres of land—now the athletic field—were purchased from Jacob G. Hunt; eight acres of land on which the Industrial Arts building is located were purchased from Domino Griffin; and the former frame gymnasium near College Hall was removed. It was in 1917 that Lebanon National Normal University was merged with Wilmington College. All the records of that school were brought to the latter school and have since been administered by Wilmington for the benefit of Lebanon students. No property except a few mounted birds and some books were received from that school. The merger of this normal school, together with new state laws which required more prepara- tion for teachers, caused an increased emphasis to be placed on teacher training. The summer school, which had an enrollment of 62 in 1914, had an attendance of 546 in 1927. President Jay purchased and remodeled a house on the corner of Ludovic Street and Fife Avenue and lived there until he purchased the large white brick building on Rombach Avenue, now known as Jay Hall. President Jay’s son, Howard, was graduated from the College. President Jay was a man of vision and purpose and did much for the college in his twelve years of service. | Henry G. Williams Eighth President, 1927-28 Henry G. Williams, a graduate of Lebanon National Normal Univer- sity and former Dean of Education at the Ohio University, came to the presidency in the summer of 1927. His ambition was to effect a per- panent and lasting merger between Wilmington College and Lebanon Na- tional Normal University. This he proposed to do by erecting a Holbrook Memorial on our. campus. Architectural plans were drawn up and the work laid for raising $150,000 for the building, but his untimely death in

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depth of the financial depression and was very successful in the organiza- tion of the faculty and in managing the budget. He strengthened the faculty by bringing several highly trained teachers to his staff. Dr. Collins’ crowning achievement was the securing of admittance of the college to the American Association of Teachers’ Colleges, which meant much to the teachers trained at Wilmington College and to the standing of the school. During Dr. Collins’ administration, the large “Rosa Robinson estate” came to the col- lege in the way of several hundred acres of fertile land in Richland township near Rees- ville. An oil station was erected at the corner of Fife and Rombach Avenues which the col- lege still owns as an investment. This site was formerly occupied by the Triangle dormi- tory for girls. An alumni fund of $700 was raised and used to establish a student center at the corner of Whittier Place and Douglas Street in 1935. Dr. Collins lived on Rombach Avenue in the stucco home now owned by Mrs. Mildred Goodwin. All three of his children were graduated from Wilmington College. He resigned in February, 1940, to acce pt a position with the State Department of Education for Ohio. Dr. Boyd was again chosen to administer the college during the period between the leaving of Dr. Collins and the arrival of his successor. Dr. Sheppard Arthur Watson Eleventh President, 1940-1947 Dr. S. A. Watson, graduate of Friends University and Ohio State Uni- versity, former Professor of Biology at Wilmington College (1920-23) and Dean of Whittier College, came to the presi- dency in 1940. The outstanding piece of work done by Dr. Watson was the admittance of Wilmington College to the North Central As- sociation of Colleges in 1943. To get the col- lege prepared for this step, it was necessary to provide financial security for the college and to build an adequate permanent library build- ing. Both of these, Dr. Watson was able to do. The idea of the living endowment was made to function and produce results, temporarily at least. The new library building was erected in 1941. Additions were made to the endow- ment through the estate of Isaac T. Johnson. and his brother, Charles. Many other additions were made to the physical plant in the building of a heating plant at the gymnasium for the gymnasium, library, and College Hall; the erection of two camps of house trailers; the erection of three temporary barracks for GI students; the erection of Bs