S P A R T AN A L UM N I M A G A Z IN E J A N U A RY 1955 A Message from the President I T is a privilege to extend the greetings of the governing board, the faculty, officials, and students of Michigan State to Spartan alumni everywhere through this special Centennial edition of the Record. We are on the eve of momentous and exciting events here on the campus. Beginning on February 12, Founders' Day, there will be a series of sig nificant observances of the Centennial. We hope t h at a great many of you will r e t u rn to the campus to participate in one or more of these events. A large number of distinguished leaders in education, government, busi ness, agriculture, and industry will join in helping Michigan State m a rk the completion of its first century of service. This presents a unique opportunity to share in a great intellectual experience, and it is to be hoped t h at many of you will take advantage of it. Our Centennial committee chose wisely, we believe, when it selected the provocative words from Lincoln's Gettysburg address as the theme for the 1955 celebration. Much has been accomplished here in 100 years, and those accomplishments had great and direct influence upon this nation's destiny. But for us, they have importance principally as milestones on the path of progress to wrhich this university was first committed by its founders. Much has been done here, but there is so much yet to be done t h at it would be unwise to spend too much time in lauding past accomplishments. This is not to say t h at we should not take pride in the fact t h at this college, born in the wilderness, dedicated to the service of agriculture and the industrial classes, has, in the first century of its existence, achieved recognition around the world as a strong university emphasizing teaching, research, and public service in a wide variety of fields. But it is well to remember t h at the history of the second century begins on the very day on which we celebrate the completion of the first. On t h at very day we s t a rt accumulating the record upon which we of this era will be judged in 2055. We could ask nothing better t h an t h at we do as well as those we honor on February 12. May we be granted the wisdom, the courage, and the strength to match their deeds as we undertake the unfinished work. /Toltn _-AT. ^J^rannah ^^ THE RECORD Vol. 60—No. 1 January 1955 MARJORIE KING, Editor BARBARA BROWN, Artist ROBERT DOOLITTLE, Historian Cover: Mural in lobby of college auditorium painted by CHARLES POLLOCK, Art dept. The Record is published seven times a year by The Department of Information Services, MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE Entered as second class matter at East Lan sing, Michigan, under the Act of Congress, August 24, 1912. Sitting stiff and erect in his Sun day best, a student arrives in a buckboard at the clearing in the wilderness that was Michigan Agri cultural College in the mid-1880's. repro This and other paintings duced here are by Artist John Coppin, Bloomfield Hills. They will be reproduced in full color in the 1955 yearbook, the Wolverine. In a dense woods a few miles outside of Lansing, a new college is being built — the first of its kind in America. Coming at a time when the industrial revolution is sweeping the nation, it is to teach agriculture and educate the industrial classes. And it will be a college for all who desire an education, rather than for the few and relatively fortunate. A clearing has already been made in the wilderness and the work begun. There is much to do. The land is rough and does not encourage progress. But two years later, it is ready, and a group of young men make their way through the dense woods to attend classes. Their clothing is the home spun variety of the youth of that day, and their high leather boots are caked with mud. Most of them have come by rail, either on the Detroit and Milwaukee to St. Johns or on the Michigan Central to Jackson. From Jackson they traveled by stage to Eaton Rapids over a plank road. Missing and broken planks made the road rough and tedious, and from Eaton Rapids on, the road was a maze of mudholes. More than once on the journey they have had to climb out and find a pole to pry the coach out of a mudhole, before at last arriving at this little clearing in the wilderness. Before them on every hand are old stumps and partially burned trees. In the immediate foreground is a tangled undergrowth and the limbs of fallen trees; on the right, the uncertain line of a rail fence, zigzagging like a snake, doubtful of its direction. In the midst of all this are three raw, new, brick buildings, starkly unadorned. They are College Hall, "Saint's Rest," the dormitory, and a small stable. They see before them the humble beginnings of a college risen to embody the dream of a new education. The challenge is everywhere. The Administration building, erected in 1881 and still standing, housed the library and museum as well as secretary. offices of president and In the beginning . . . M ICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE was a sense, for it was the first of its kind in the nation, indeed in the entire world. It embraced a revolutionary concept of education: a college which was devoted for the first time to all the people. institution pioneer literal the in This idea began when the state was framing her constitution and organizing her institutions. There was at this time a widespread educational revival reached out and touched the backwoods of Michigan. this nation which in import for This revival had a singular the profession of agriculture, since 85 per cent of the people labored to supply food for the entire population. Naturally, it was thought t h at every effort should be made to keep the young man on the farm. Yet suffering from conditions which suggested for better education. There was a real danger of rural depopulation. Fortunes were being made in California and there were many who quit their chores and hurried to t h at siren song of untold wealth. in Michigan, agriculture was the need In short, it was apparent t h at if this agricul tural class declined, then the nation wTould have to give up the fight for the new frontier. The problem called for better educated farmers. It called for men who, through application of science, would improve their land, increasing its yield, and by so doing improve the standard of living for the entire nation. In the nation at this time there were perhaps two hundred colleges and universities, yet only a few of them offered more than general informa tion concerning chemistry and biology, and none taught agriculture. Their curriculum was modeled after English universities and directed toward the education of doctors, lawyers, clergymen, scholars and gentlemen. After considerable discussion, a bill was passed Feb. 12, 1855 in the Michigan legislature estab lishing an agricultural college. By approval of Governor Kinsley S. Bingham the bill became a law, and in June of t h at year the work of build ing a college was begun. There was nothing pretentious about the general plan. A committee examined lands t h at had been offered as a site for the new school and agreed to purchase 677 acres located in the townships of Meridian and Lansing. The price was $15 per acre. Here three buildings were erected in the forest. J u st as the college stood here on the threshold Chemistry building, early 1900's. Note tiller type steering on car at left. k$$H£$^$ &*#* IS IfW m^mm 5r * The State Agricultural Society took up the matter and appointed a committee to consider and report on the condition of the college. They found, in October 1859, that "our sons should not be content with anything less than full courses of science and literature," and recommended the transfer of the institution from the Board of Education to a new organization, the State Board of Agriculture. Both parties agreed and in De cember 1861 the legislature made the requested change. It had been a difficult period for the college to pass through unscathed. The legislature had dismissed classes for some time while it debated establishing the new board. Rumors had circu lated that the college would be abolished. The new term opened with only 66 students. Yet, even then, the times were largely to blame. in Beauregard had attacked Fort Sumter the first military victory of the Civil War. As students assembled for first day classes they were read a call for volunteers from President Abra ham Lincoln. Student impulse to enlist in the fight was strong, and two months before com mencement the faculty reluctantly excused the entire senior class. Military instruction was soon introduced to the few students remaining, and the state, anxious that the institution prepare its meager enrollment for possible action, loaned the college 60 muskets with instructions for their use. The instructions said the young men were to "keep them bright and clean and not by any means must they be allowed to carve their names on them." of settlement, it also stood on the frontier of education, a citadel to democracy. As promised in the act establishing the college, about two-thirds of the curriculum was devoted to science, the remainder centered on liberal arts. Scientific agriculture was not mentioned in the course of study then, for nothing of the kind existed in 1858. It was to be found later at the laboratories, on the experimental farm, and even in the barnyard. In the three hours every student spent in farm and garden work, he was expected to find new applications of the principles learned in three hours' classroom study. Almost everyone concerned anticipated many problems and trying years. None, however, could possibly have imagined the time that must elapse before the college would be universally accepted by the people. The college's first president, Joseph R. Williams realized this above all others. The words which he gave at the official dedication May 13, 1857 were more than prophetic — in later years they were to read like history. He spoke of the objections that would be raised to the institution and said it would be called an experiment; men would demand results before affording either aid or sympathy. Men would object to its cost and would leave it unendowed, subject to the caprice of successive legislatures, he warned. By 1859 considerable argument arose as to just what an agricultural college ought to be, what it ought to teach. The State Board of Education, which governed the college in its early years, finally devised a plan to make the institution more strictly a technical school. The new course of study was to be one year of preparation and two years professional education. It was adopted without question. But farmers were immediately dissatisfied with the change. They objected strongly to making the college purely a professional school, pointing out, as Williams had said, that an institution which made its graduates better farmers, not better citizens, was only doing half the job. Stately pillars of Agricultural Hall Natural Science building — one of largest of its kind in world when completed in 1949. Serves as a model . . . I N THE MIDST of war a new promise of real progress came to the college. It came with the passage of the Morrill Act in 1862 which called for the creation of land-grant colleges . .. where the leading object shall be, with out excluding other scientific studies and classical subjects . . . to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts . . . in order to promote the liberal and practical education . . . in the several pursuits and professions of life. In his only formal speech supporting the measure, Congressman (later Senator) Morrill named but one example of what he would create: the college in Michigan, "liberally supported by the State, in the full tide of successful experi ment." For the Agricultural College of Michigan, the Morrill grant meant a quarter of a million acres of land which could be put up for public sale. In short, it fairly insured the financial stability of the college. Yet it was not until 1885 that the income from the land sales specified in this act warranted establishment of a "complete mechanical instruc tion." In this year, equipment was procured for a woodshop, a blacksmith shop, and an iron shop. Professors were engaged and engineering thus became a member of the M.A.C. family. mm ^ g ^» Left: iron Students working on lathes in the mechanical laboratory, about 1893. See overhead belts and pulleys. Above: In shops such as this, mechanical engineering stu industrial production. dents study A Home Economics class in 1912. How times have changed! But now, as latest in both equipment and instruction. then, classes have the -it ' '• ? - u • : "*" u Y-b If j j fi >> •k} m M. i -Ml ' h J J MT T / i • i1 • •A | \ *:t ,V —< J But progress and development could not be denied entirely, for the college met each challenge and started forward again, examining, strength ening, and expanding. the In 1870 women were first admitted to college with the same privileges as men. Farmer's Institutes were organized in 1876, forerunners of the Agricultural Extension Service. Then in 1888, the first long-range research program was established with the organization of the Agri cultural Experiment Station. It was a curious thing that with the many challenges of the first half century, the general plan was not forgotten or abandoned. The same strength prevailed which had given birth to the college. This strength had grown in the age of scientific inquiry, an age when knowledge was being sought for practical purposes. It was also an age when higher education was claiming its place in the workshop, in the counting room, on the farm and in the kitchen. Through this half century the college stood as a model symbolizing an era of intellectual freedom. It was the product of a very practical philosophy which came from modern, yet changing ideas. M.A.C. had been fortunate in learning to seek new devices and in avoiding old mistakes. Military full dress in 1896. Note swords. It was also at this time that the college truly became a model from which the land-grant sys tem evolved, for it gave heavily from its small faculty who left on promise of higher salaries to start new courses and to build new institutions dedicated to the tradition established with this system. M.A.C. course structure became the pro totype of all future successful land-grant colleges. In fact, the founding of this institution had given life to a new and truly American tradition for higher education. Yet there were obstacles which prevented a more rapid development — its beginning in the woods with no model to fol low; repeated efforts to remove the college or unite it with the University of Michigan; the distracting influence of the Civil War; inadequate early legislative appropriations. In the Junior Annual of 1901, Dr. Kedzie tells a story on the lighter side of the difficulties which the college had to face: "One subject frequently before us ivas hoiu to secure more students and fill up our skeleton classes to the full quota. "In our the appalling and G faculty meeting information was given that D their were going home for the reasoyi that the red flannel shirts had been stolen from clothes line and they had no money to buy garments 'Lose two good students for the price of a pair of shirts? Never!' A contribution on the spot raised the the shirts were bought and sum necessary, presented — as gorgeously red as if they represented the lifeblood of the College." to replace them. Students in the physics laboratory, 1913. High button shoes and heavy knit sweaters were all the rage in those days. R. C. Kedzie in the lec ture room of the old lab, 1892. Chemistry 1865-75, Manly Miles, first professor of prac in U.S. tical agriculture Dedicated men T HE HISTORY of the first half century of Michigan Agricultural College was more than the story of fortunate circumstances, or dis appointments and obstacles. It was more than an age of scientific inquiry. It was the story of great men wTho, as a faculty, simply made a good school into a great institution. Scattered throughout the early history of the college their names appear: Manly Miles who, in teaching animal physi ology, entomology and zoology, emphasized their import to agriculture, urging students to examine farm practices in the light of science. Albert J. Cook, one of the three leading ento mologists concerned with the nation's economy, whose kerosene emulsion was the standard insecti cide at a time when insects were beginning to threaten the future of Michigan fruit growing. John C lough Holmes, whose unceasing efforts probably more than any other man's, induced the legislature to establish the college. Robert C. Kedzie, professor of chemistry for 39 years, wTho began his first research without equipment, encouragement, or models to follow. William J. Beal, whose origination of hybrid seed corn in 1879 was of tremendous significance in the development of an agricultural economy in this nation . . . and many more. Faculty of M.A.C, 1890 (left to right) Davenport, Taft, Clute, Durand, Ked zie, Cook. (Seated) Rey nolds, Carpenter, Ander son, Simpson and Beal. Liberty Hyde Bailey, world-famous horti c u l t u r al authority. In Memoriam. Michigan State College mourns the loss of Liberty Hyde Bailey, one of the world's greatest horticultural authorities, and one of M.A.C.'s oldest graduates, who passed away Christmas night. He died quietly at his home in Ithaca, N. Y., at the age of 96, after a life of adventure that carried him to every corner of the globe. Bailey became professor of horticulture at M.A.C. in 1885 and set up the nation's first horti culture department here. In fact, he pioneered practical horticulture, becoming a world authority on this subject in work at M.A.C. and Cornell University. President John A. Hannah expressed the senti ments of Michigan State College when he said: "Everyone at Michigan State College feels a great sense of loss in the death of one of our most distinguished alumni. Liberty Hyde Bailey was a pioneer in science in every sense of the word and lived a long life of tremendous useful ness." Over the first 50 years, six men were largely respon sible that the dream of a new kind of college was not abandoned — Joseph R. Williams, Lewis Fisk, T. C. Abbot, Edwin Willits, Oscar Clute and Lewis Gorton — presidents during the early and most formative stages of the college's development. These were the men who watched the general plan and guarded it as the college grew from three buildings and fewer than 80 students, to an institution which had an enrollment of over 1,000 and an endowment of nearly $300,000 by 1907. In many respects the first president was a remarkable man. It was he who had to define the pattern in these first most difficult years of the college's growth. No man in this broad land knew just what such a college should approximate. Never-the-less, President Williams found the burden so overtaxed his health that he had to resign in 1859. For awhile, due to financial reasons, the president's post remained vacant and Professor L. R. Fisk, elected by the faculty, served as president pro tempore of that body. He resigned in 1862, and a new administrator was named for the college — T. C. Abbot. Abbot was equipped with a classical training and had long been connected with the institution, faithfully study ing the ideas of President Williams. He began a service of 22 years in one of the most important periods in the formative stages and history of the institution. Following Dr. Abbot's resignation in 1884, three other men in rapid succession — Willits, Clute, and Gorton, tried their hand at his job. Because these men had all served the college such short periods, the Board of Agri culture began searching for a young man who would be able to serve the college for many years. They decided upon Jonathan LeMoyne Snyder, who, at 37 years of age, was elected to the presidency in 1895 and stayed to serve 20 years. The first 50 years were the hardest, but they passed. There were new presidents — Kedzie, Friday, Butterfield, Shaw and now Hannah. These were the men who took over the task of building, planning, improving and ful filling the early ambitions of those first presidents. J O S E PH R. W I L L I A MS 1857-1859 T H E O P H I L US C. A B B OT 1862-1884 E D W IN W I L L I TS 1885-1889 OSCAR C L U TE 1889-1893 L E W IS G. GORTON 1893-1895 VTHAN S N Y D ER i-1915 F R A NK S. K E D Z IE 1915-1921 DAVID F R I D AY 1921-1923 K EN YON B U T T E R F I E LD 1924-1928 ROBERT S. S H AW 1928-1941 Main Street (Grand River) about 1920, and as today. The College Drug Store can be seen at extreme left. looks it Progress, it seemed, was becoming more and more a day-by-day affair. Yet, in a sense, it had been hampered by two factors: a restricted cur riculum, and a restricted name. The matter of the curriculum had been an elastic thing, for the college broadened its course offerings gradually the years, offering through studies to meet the needs of a changing society. the college misled many people as to its character and the work it was doing. Many who wTere uncertain as to wrhat college looked no further than the name "agricultural college." they should attend the name of But from first the The matter of a more suitable name had been tossed about for several decades. There had been some talk of a new name during Snyder's admin istration and on into Kedzie's and Friday's terms of office. But the question was still undecided when Kenyon Butterfield took office in 1924. Then, on April 13, 1925, after meeting opposi tion which threatened to send it to oblivion, a bill to change the name of the college passed the Michigan House of Representatives by a slim six-vote margin. The bill became law officially a month later — exactly 68 years after the formal dedication — when signed by the Governor. Michigan Agricultural College became Michi gan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. Life begins at fifty P RIOR TO 1855, one pursued a college education in this country only if he planned to specialize in certain fields, such as medicine, law, teaching and the ministry. But the founding of Michigan Agricultural College gave a new and broad inter pretation to the role of higher education. Now, at the t u rn of the century, new courses were added the developments the nation's industry. to the curriculum to keep up with in science and in It was recognized, too, in these early years t h at there was a need to disseminate scientific knowledge among the people working on the land. In 1914 the passage of the Smith-Lever Act made funds available for extension work in the land- g r a nt colleges. Cooperating closely with Michigan's counties and communities, the Extension Service carried on a great out-of-school educational program in the fields of agricultural production, organization and m a r k e t i n g; in the field of home economics; and in boy's and girl's 4-H club work. Then once again w ar came upon the scene. With the advent of World W ar I, Michigan Agri cultural College shifted its attention from the task of producing farmers, foresters, engineers, home economists and veterinarians, to the task of train ing fighters. With the close of hostilities a new prosperity dawned, however, and M.A.C. began again to enlarge its plant and to improve its curriculum. One of the most important of the new additions was Applied Science, established in 1921. Con cerned chiefly with scientific work, this new divi sion aimed to give students fundamental training in basic sciences with supplementary t r a i n i ng in related sciences and cultural subjects. Although concentrating on science, it provided at the same time other subjects t h at would fit students to be efficient citizens. Then, three years after this innovation, in 1924, the college established a course in the a r ts leading from to an A.B. degree, the most radical step the path of strictly scientific work since the college was founded. A troubled time . . . HEN Robert Sidey Shaw was appointed president of the college in 1928, he stepped into unfortunate circumstances not of his own choosing. Since the collapse of war prices in 1921, the nation's agriculture had submarined below the level of subsistence, despite progress and prospects offered by investment, banking, and business. Michigan State, first college established in America to serve agriculture, saw this problem but lacked the resources to do much about it. to improve However, Shaw went to work, setting down certain objectives the educational standards of the college, objectives that could be accomplished within his limited budget. Be sides establishing a graduate school in 1930, the entire curriculum was revised and new depart ments of study were organized such as farm management, public school music, art, chemical engineering, physical education for women, police administration, and public administration. This renovation of the course of study brought official recognition for the first time to Michigan State from the Association of American Universities. But there was more to do. There were build ings to be built. On September 11, 1931, Shawr's building program wras approved by the State Board of Agriculture, a program which was to cost more than $650,000. Yet even as the admin istration saw such lofty plans mature, the plans became conservative and outmoded. Another crisis came in 1935 when enrollment reached 4,000, an increase of 45 per cent over the pre ceding two years. Earlier, however, despite the gloom of the times, two developments took place which were Early art students on the bank of the Red Cedar. (Opposite page) Students at the M.S.C. Leelanau Summer Art School. Corner of old Wells catches fire and burns rapidly, 1916. to shape dramatically the college's future growth. The first was a renewed recession. The second was the appointment of John A. Hannah in 1934 as Secretary of the college. Hannah surveyed the crippling need for new buildings at State and outlined an ambitious pro gram for expansion. In 1937 he asked the legisla ture for money to serve this end, but was turned down. Despite a cut of $472,000 from the 1937-38 and 1938-39 state appropriations, which allowed nothing for construction, new buildings were begun anyway. And just in time. For enrollment had increased another 25 per cent since the 1937 legislative session. Help came then from a projected W.P.A. pro gram which was to give the college new roads, bridges, drainage and grading wTorth $1,100,000. There was also a P.W.A. program which called for construction of a hospital, a veterinary science clinic addition, and another men's dormitory. By 1938 a building program was realized for the college totaling $3,302,000 with a direct cost to Michigan taxpayers of only $72,500. In fact, Shaw saw new buildings go up during his administration beyond his own wildest dreams : Mason and Abbot Halls, Mary Mayo Hall, Louise Campbell Hall, veterinary laboratory, a new dairy barn, Olin Memorial Hospital, Jenison Gymnasium and Field House, a music building, a college auditorium, and many others. In 1941 when Shaw retired from office he could see his handiwork. He must have seen, too, that Hannah, succeeding him, had the sams faith in the way the college moved, the same faith in the future of Michigan State College. Strike! 1948 flood invades ball diamond. Frosh rush. Remember the greased pole' touchdown 1913 was winning year for football team. in winning game Left: First against U. of M. Below left: Home vic torious from Wisconsin. Below: Blocked punt, turning point of '54 Rosebowl game, greatest year in M.S.C.'s football history. \r*' mm 1 thm Through the years... Staff of the Speculum, second college paper, 1880s. late in the Students, working in shifts, dig basement for Student Union, setting a precedent among colleges. AH in f un of course. Early Ag. class. Safe on third! Soft ball in 1921. A room in Butterfield Hall. Modern exterior of Shaw Hall room in Abbot Hall, A " m o d e r n" 1 8 %, complete with kerosene lamp, lace c u r t a i ns and white cast iron bed. A change in course like Shaw, stepped J OHN A H A N N A H, into troubled times of anxiety and tension when he became president in 1941. But he proved to be a In August 1945, man of foresight and vision. when things were still not going too well in the Pacific, he said: ''This war will soon be over. Students will be coming back. We must have things ready." Anticipating the days when possibly 15,000 students would arrive on campus, he launched another building program, this one totaling $25 in mind, however, more million. H a n n ah had than building a great physical plant. The year before, in 1944, Michigan State staged in general, institution a second revolt against education acquiring a new look, almost a new of learning. The plan was simple: President Hannah and his faculty t h at the college was operating on the assumption t h at all students were created intellectually equal, t h at they could all proceed by the same machinery designed to produce the scholar, the scientist, the professional man and woman. felt The administration proposed, therefore, nothing to disciplined study which more than a r e t u rn would give the student a broad perspective, pro viding him with basic to the world in which he had to live. information relative The plan called for seven — later decreased to in a four — "core courses" which were offered Basic College. There were four specific purposes in this p l a n: to strengthen specialized t r a i n i ng by supporting it with a broader educational founda tion ; to give students a chance to explore different areas and thereby base their plans on real inter ests and aptitudes; for measuring educational attainments, and to pro vide greater opportunity for each student to work at his own rate. the basis improve to It is interesting to note from the vantage point of history, t h at the idea behind the Basic College was not really much of a revolution, nor was it peculiar two years after the State Agricultural Society had reported: to Michigan State. For the college's dedication, in 1859, " . . . that a college which only makes not better citizens, its gradu is only ates better doing half its work." farmers, That this idea should still remain a dedication after 85 years speaks well for the general plan in founding the college. That it should manifest itself by breaking away from educational theories bespeaks the breadth and meaningful direction in which the college moved under John A. Hannah. farsightedness, the the fingers of which had been cut off. A batter could request t h at he be served either a high or a low ball and pitchers had to throw from "below the belt" and only underhand. Consequently, the scores often ran ridiculously high. However, organized athletics seemed to decline "Nine the and surely baseball suffered after the school paper In 1882 Spots" graduated. grieved to an t h at sports were then "confined occasional 'scrub' game of baseball, or to a miscel laneous kicking of a football." Because of the strenuous conditioning necessary in football, it was not popular at first with the college. The first football games, outside of inter- class contests in 1885 and 1886, found the Aggies losing to Olivet 8 to 0. But things got worse. And a month later they lost to Albion 79-0. All of which made football less popular t h an ever. It was not until 1896 t h at it joined baseball and track on the Michigan Aggie program. Baseball further cemented its claim to being the first important Aggie sport when in the late 1880's it became organized enough to play as many as 16 games a season. Professor Carpenter was then coach. These were some of the fragmentary beginnings of the sports program at Michigan Agricultural College. Today the institution boasts one of the strongest and broadest p r o g r a ms in the country. It encompasses 14 sports in intercollegiate com petition, 23 in i n t r a m u r al play and dozens of less formal development. Practically in others the entire student body, both men and women, is regularly involved in one or more of the activ ities. The athletic plant contains four major buildings, plus spreading acres of baseball dia monds, football practice fields, tennis courts, track and field areas, into many millions of dollars. its value running Athletics at Michigan State have come as far and developed as gloriously as has the rest of the institution. — FRED STABLEY Aerial view of the first Macklin Field stadium. In the Spartan tradition EVEN FROM the beginning, students interspersed their courses of studies with games and sports, although the broad program of athletics offered today bears little resemblance to the simple games of the early years. Consider the beginnings of sports at Michigan State, nee Michigan Agricultural College. One- and two-old cat ball games, hop, step and j u m p, pom-pom pull-away, t ag and leapfrog were the main offerings around 1857. In its issue of Sept. 5, 1866, the State of Lansing, direct predecessor Repub lican, the to Lansing State Journal of today, reported: "Okemos—A match game of baseball was played on August 29 between the F a r m e r s' Club of Okemos and the Stars Club of the Agricultural College on the grounds of the Okemos Club. The Stars won 47-27." George Alderton, sports editor is the earliest of the State to reference he has found in the old Republican a sports event of any kind at M.A.C. says this Journal, A Professor Clute, believed to be the Oscar Clute who became the fifth president of the Michi in 1889, acted as a gan Agricultural College combination manager and faculty sponsor of the team, and even served as umpire in some games. This team played in a league with the Okemos F a r m e r s, Capitol City team of Lansing, and the Monitor Club of St. Johns. Also mentioned is a tournament in Lansing in the fall of 1866 among baseball teams from a five-county area of central Michigan. The Stars participated and lost 65-48 to the Capitol City team. And there were other diversions which offered healthy exercise and outdoor recreation. The most popular of these was the match h u nt between two teams in the great woods which spread over p a rt of the college grounds. With two such teams competing in 1873, one hunt bagged 79 squirrels, 12 pigeons, 9 quail, 6 partridge, 4 turkeys and 8 ducks. The winners, it was noted, received an oyster supper from the losers. Intercollegiate athletic competition appears to have begun informally, if not officially, for the young agricultural college in 1884 with a field meet at Olivet College. Later other schools were invited to participate. And with the prospects of four meets in a season, three years later the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was organized. Baseball again appears in the early records with a team made of the members of the class of '78 who called themselves the "Nine Spots." Ten in this sport, the number being re men figured stricted, for there were only 10 uniforms and not much more in the way of equipment. In fact, the catcher played without a mask and without a chest protector, catching with a buckskin glove, Right: State's $4,000,000 library under construction. library, second Below:Old lights. building to have Married students' housing has look of future. Brody Hall, latest addition to housing group. A new era at State . . . A LONG WITH the matrimonial boom of the 1940's came a baby boom. By 1945 it was clear that the nation's colleges were scheduled to experience significant changes and increased enrollment as education-conscious veterans, their study provided by a grateful nation, flocked to college campuses. Suddenly, colleges and uni versities had to turn their attention to such prob lems as housing for married veterans and ample clothesline space for diapers. It was fortunate indeed that Hannah's $25 million building program was launched in 1946 to meet the needs of veterans and other students. The program included construction of 15 class rooms, laboratory and dormitory buildings, 11 apartment buildings for married students and faculty members, and additions to the stadium and union building. No sooner was the last structure in the $25 million building program off the drawing board, then it was apparent that new needs had made the college's physical plant inadequate. New build ings — dormitories, married housing, a library, an animal industries building and others — would by 1955 boost Michigan State's post-war building program to over $50 million. More than 60 per cent of these were on a self-liquidating basis. In curriculum, too, there was a constant need for revision, expansion, and re-emphasis to fit the needs of the modern American economy. The organization of a School of Business and Public Service in 1946 gave due recognition to the in creasing for careers in business, hotel management, food dis tribution, social work and government. training students importance of In 1948 a daring new plan was conceived called the Continuing Education Service. Charged with the responsibility of all adult education programs outside the field of agriculture, it was to provide a multitude of services. These were to come under three broad classifications: courses and confer ences, business and industry, and education and community service. In addition to its own staff of specialists in this area, the Continuing Educa tion Service was to coordinate the college's reser voir of talent in seeking to solve the problems of Michigan people. its course offerings The training of teachers gained new importance in the 1950's, and the college revised and strength ened the heavy- demands for instructors in both high schools and colleges. Establishment of the School of Educa tion, which had been a Division since 1934, was recognition that the education of teachers will continue to have a top priority in the college's second century. to meet Remembering, too, that a college is only as strong as its staff and its resources, Michigan State embarked during the post-war years on a program of academic austerity designed to elevate the academic and professional qualifications of the faculty. Today, that faculty compares favor ably with those of the other great universities of the nation. Now, a century after its founding, over 15,500 students prepare for their future through a broad curriculum in nine schools — Agriculture, Busi ness and Public Service, Education, Engineering, Home Economics, Science and Arts, Veterinary Medicine, Graduate Studies, and the Basic Col lege. There are 126 different curricula available, 65 of these on the graduate level. These are taught by the faculty, which numbers more than 2,000, including teaching, research, extension and adult education personnel. Today, the modern East Lansing campus covers 570 acres, plus adjacent farmland totaling 3200 acres. The physical plant, which includes 130 permanent buildings and nearly 1,000 temporary structures, is valued at more than $70 million. Under the leadership of President Hannah, the college has gained national recognition for being "lusty, ambitious and progressive." Student enrollment has risen to more than 15,500 full- time students, ranking M.S.C. as the eighth largest college in the nation. Design for living . . . HAT HAS succeeded so well in America is W now being tried in many other countries as Michigan State College carries the land-grant college philosophy of serving to other lands. To increase food production, train better teachers, and improve business techniques, Michigan State has established educational programs on the Ryukyu Islands, in Colombia, Viet Nam, and Brazil. All four projects involve the application of this philosophy — to serve as many people as possible as a means of helping them improve their standard of living. Thus our design for living based on our heritage from the early founders of the college will, as time passes, be modified and improved again for mankind now living and yet unborn. Our faith is that the changes will be ultimately for a life that is easier, pleasanter, more secure and more meaningful within society. M.S.C. serves the state Dedicated to serving the needs and interests of the people of the state, Michigan State College does not confine its responsibilities to the class rooms and laboratories alone. Through research, through dissemination of new scientific knowledge among the people on the land, through special courses and community pro grams, and in countless other ways, Michigan State extends its services to an estimated 500,000 each year. Largely responsible for this program of service are: the Agricultural Experiment Station, the Cooperative Extension Service and the Continu ing Education Service. Physiologists removing which have been injected with radio-active thyroid gland from white rats iodine. Radio-active phosphorus applied as a tracer to the fertilizer absorption. leaves of plants to measure 4-H Club boys com paring prize-winning birds at state show. Cooperative Extension Service Today the Cooperative Extension Service oper ates in 83 county "classrooms" with a "student body" equal to the population of Michigan. There are now 386 workers, including county agents, home demonstration agents, consumer informa tion agents and other specialized district agents whose services are available to the people of the state. Visitors tour college farm on special days at M.S.C. Homemaking programs are given over TV and radio. Research Knowledge through research has been a corner stone of Michigan State's program since the early experiments of Kedzie and Beal. And today, thous ands of research projects dealing with virtually every field are in progress. In addition to the projects being carried on by the Agricultural Ex periment Station, numerous problems are being solved by the Social Service Research, the Govern ment Research Bureau, the Business Research Bureau, and the Engineering Experiment Station. Results of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station's work have meant much to Michigan's farmers and to the farmers of the U.S. Some of the better known findings have been the Michelite bean, now grown extensively in most bean areas; the widely grown Haven peach varieties; the infra-red frost protection device, to cut losses to high value crops; and numerous findings in animal disease control. A very early and rather unique experiment of Dr. W. J. Beal's (see picture at right) is still going on and will not be concluded until the year 2040. Seeds buried in bottles to see how long they can remain dormant and still germinate are dug up every 10 years and planted. Results may be of help in weed control. Continuing Education offers conferences for businessmen. Prof. H. T. Darlington carries on seed experiment. Continuing Education The Continuing Education Service, organized in 1948, offers Michigan people a program in non- agricultural fields paralleling that of the Extension Service. Its headquarters, Kellogg Center for Con tinuing Education, provided accommodations for more than 160,000 Michigan people who came to the campus in 1954 for conferences and short courses. Similar programs are offered throughout the state. Hi W J S JM 4ft ™ |Jjj| • / *" HF •' ^jSt0 \ M 1700 film titles are available at M.S.C. for adult groups. Demonstrating new polio nursing techniques at the Kellogg Center. WgfJ' 8 \ i Kf \ I mm Once again it became necessary to change the name of the association to the Michigan State College Alumni Association when, in 1925, legis lative action changed the name of the college. times In depression years the association fell upon financially, and in 1935 the college hard undertook complete subsidization. The Record was sent free of charge to all alumni, first as a quarterly publication, then later seven times a year. Meanwhile, an idea for a memorial center, consisting of a chapel and international house, was beginning to take shape. Joseph K. Goundie, '41, was appointed assistant director of alumni relations to help coordinate plans, and in 1947 the Memorial Center fund program opened with Dr. Floyd Owen, '02, as general chairman. Early in 1950, ground was broken east of the auditorium along the Red Cedar, and the Memorial Chapel was completed and dedicated on Alumni Day, J u ne 7, 1952. Over 200 alumni weddings have taken place there since its dedication. To bring the needs of the institution to the attention of alumni and friends of the college, an official agency w as established in 1949. It w as called the M.S.C. Alumni Fund, and William Davidson, '13, was appointed fund director. That first little group of loyal and enthusiastic to 107 alumni clubs alumni has now grown throughout Michigan and the United States. What does the future hold for the Michigan State College Alumni Association? The future of Michigan State has never been brighter, and certainly the alumni have an ex tremely vital role in the responsibilities, problems and challenges of the second century. An in formed and active alumni association can help insure continued progress and development of this college in serving better the people of the state and nation. Strong alumni support will be a great asset, indeed an absolute necessity, if Michigan State is to maintain its position among the great uni versities of the world. — GLADYS FRANKS Alumni Memorial Chapel. Alumni make history . .. ON A GRAY day in November in 1868, a group in of enthusiastic young graduates, still their commencement finery, hastened to a meet ing place on t he campus. Here, with nine former graduates, they held the first alumni meeting of Michigan Agricultural College. Later they were to be called the "Society of the Alumni of Michigan Agricultural College" whose purpose, as solemnly stated in their con stitution, w as "to continue and strengthen the mutual friendship of t he alumni and to enable them to confer as to the best measures to promote the usefulness of their Alma Mater." reunions were scheduled (from 1873 through 1903), and during the in terim years the members were kept up to date then being published in by the M.A.C. Record, the office of t he college president. triennially first, At Rumblings of impending changes were heard, however, in 1907 and again in 1910. By this time, local associations of alumni had been established, and it w as decided t h at it was time the associ ation had a full-time secretary to unite the gradu ates and to enlist their interest and support. Over 400 school-spirited alumni registered for to making industriously t h at 17th reunion in 1913. They applied them some needed selves changes in the constitution — providing for a full-time secretary, a change in the association's name the Michigan Agricultural College Alumni Association, for annual reunions, and for the management of the Record. to The following summer, George Sheffield, '12, was named t he first of the alumni secretaries. In the succeeding years, alumni history was made by the men who took over this position. Besides Mr. Sheffield, they w e r e: C. S. Langdon, '11, a p pointed in 1914; Clifford W. McKibbin, '11, appointed in 1917; Robert J. McCarthy, '14, who became secretary in 1922; Glen O. Stewart, '17, secretary from 1928 until his death in 1948. All except Mr. Stewart a re living, and within a 90-mile radius of the campus. Tom King took over after Mr. Stewart's death and was succeeded by S t a rr Keesler, '41, in 1950. After Mr. Sheffield's appointment in 1913, the issue of the Record, under the management first of the association, was published in September of t h at year. In those days it was a four-page, weekly paper, subscription price, $1.00. Through its editorial columns such lively issues were de bated as a change in name for the college, an annual homecoming day in the fall, the Dix plan for spring reunions, and the need for an alumni building to provide a meeting place. Their plans for a meeting place met with disaster when in August 1918, College Hall, which was being restored for use as an alumni-union building, collapsed. It was not many months later, however, t h at plans were drawn for a new student union building. They succeeded in raising $150,000 and sod was broken on Alumni Day in 1923. The students themselves dug the excava tion for the basement, setting a precedent for American colleges and providing news in all p a r ts of the world. Crowds gathered to hear President Teddy Roosevelt speak at semi-centennial. M I C H I G AN STATE'S Centennial Celebration A BESPECTACLED man cloaked in great warmth and dignity stands at the speaker's platform overlooking Michigan Agricultural College. It is the college's Semi-Centennial celebration. The man the is Theodore Roosevelt, President of United States. He begins: "The 50th anniversary of the founding of this college is an event of national signifi- cance, for Michigan was the first state in the Union to form this college, the first agri cultural college in America It must have been a breath-taking moment for all those who had built the college. For in that audience of nearly 20,000 were many who could recall the disappointments in establishing that institution, and with it, a new concept of edu cation. . . ." They had known there would be hard times. But that someday the President would stand upon that campus, where woods once surrounded the first three buildings . . . impossible, surely. Yet it had happened. Today, nearly a century after its founding, Michigan State College prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday. Yet its Centennial will com memorate more than the passing of calendar time. It is the commemoration of an event which dras tically changed the course of higher education in America — the founding of a college which, for the first time, was dedicated to serving large num bers of people rather than the few and fortunate. Thus 1955 will be a big year for Michigan State. Festivities officially begin with a Founders' Day program on Feb. 12. Dr. James B. Conant, former President of Harvard University and now U.S. High Commissioner to Germany will speak on "An Old Tradition in a New World." Presidents of leading colleges and universities throughout the world will attend this function along with key men from business, industry, learned societies, and government. next seated Pres. Theodore Roose to velt M.A.C.'s Pres. Jonathan Snyder, arriving in new to give address. Reo Officials from Washington, D. C, will be on hand Feb. 12, too. A commemorative U.S. post age stamp will be presented to Michigan State College and Pennsylvania State University, honor ing these two institutions as the first of the land- grant colleges. One of the highlights of the Centennial program will be an outstanding series of 10 scholarly sym posia which will be presented throughout the year on subjects of world importance. A musical, "Michigan Dream," is being written especially for the Centennial by Dr. John Jen nings, formerly of the dramatics department, and Dr. H. Owen Reed of the music department. Then in August, a Centennial of Farm Mechanization will draw over 250,000 people to the campus for a look at technological develop ments in agriculture during the last century. Over 500 exhibits, displays and demonstrations from virtually every leading manufacturer and industry in the nation will be included in the "world's fair" show. Another outstanding event of the year will be a convocation during the week of Oct. 10 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower is to be the featured speaker. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY Major Centennial Events 12 F O U N D E R S' DAY Main S p e a k e r: Dr. J a m es B. Conant S Y M P O S I U M: " N u t r i t i on of P l a n t s, A n i m a ls a nd M a n" S Y M P O S I U M: "Role of S t a t e - S u p ported U n i v e r s i ty in Continuing Edu c a t i o n" 14-16 25-26 24-25 12-14 Entomological Society of America S Y M P O S I U M: "Business in t he F u t u r e" 18-20 S Y M P O S I U M: " P o t e n t i a l i t i es of W o m en in t he Middle Y e a r s" 25-27 S Y M P O S I U M: "General E d u c a t i o n" 28-30 American Philosophical Association 12-14 C E N T E N N I AL M U S I C A L: "Michigan D r e a m" 12-13 S Y M P O S I U M: " A u t o m a t i on — E n g i n e e r i ng for T o m o r r o w" 16-20 S Y M P O S I U M: " T he N ew View of M a n —A Synthesis and a F o r e c a s t" J U NE 2- 5 Alumni-Commencement Weekend 20-24 A m e r i c an D a i ry Science Association 27-29 V E T E R I N A RY S Y M P O S I U M: " R e J U LY 25-27 I n f e r t i l i t y" production a nd S Y M P O S I U M: " D o m i n a nt Forces in t he I m p r o v e m e nt of Public E d u c a t i o n" A U G. 1 -3 American F a rm Economics Confer ence 9-12 N a t i o n al P o u l t ry Science Association 15-20 C E N T E N N I AL OF F A RM M E C H A N I Z A T I ON S E P T. 5- 9 American I n s t i t u te of Biological Sci ences 12-16 N a t i o n al Association of A g r i c u l t u r al County A g e n ts 28-30 S Y M P O S I U M: I n t e g r i ty T w e n t i e th C e n t u r y" " T he Necessity in in Communications for t he W o r k i ng on new musical p l a y; Owen Reed, c o m p o s e r; Lewin Goff, director and Marcia E a s t man, c h o r e o g r a p h e r. P r e s i d e nt Dwight D. Eisenhower J a m es B. Conai OCT. 10-14 P R E S I D E N T I AL CONVOCATION Invited S p e a k e r: P r e s i d e nt Eisenhower Homecoming Game with Illinois 22 17-22 N a t i o n al Governing Boards of Col leges a nd Universities NOV. 15-17 Association of L a n d - G r a nt Colleges and Universities E n t r a n ce to t he Centennial F a rm ( A u g u st Mechanization 15-20). The exhibit will cover the M.S.C. c a m p u s. 60 acres of exhibit to (I. r e p r e s e n t a t i v e ), Centennial r.) c o m m i t t ee L. W. Scott, M. Kuhn, R. Rider J. H. ( s t u d e nt Denison, c h a i r m a n; A. L. Smith, Centennial d i r e c t o r; Dean T. H. Osgood, H. J. S t a f s e t h, E. B. Hill, R. W. Doolittle, a s s i s t a nt director. Adding prestige to the Centennial Year will be over 25 national educational and professional societies which have also scheduled their meetings at Michigan State during 1955. Alumni will have "their day", too, in the year long celebration. In fact they will have quite a few of them, beginning with Founders' Month, Feb. 12 to March 12, during which all clubs will hold special meetings. Alumni-commencement weekend, June 2 to 5, will probably bring the ever largest number of assembled on the campus. graduates former The second hundred . . Throughout all these observances, however, Michigan State will not lose sight of its dedica tion to the future, expressed in the Centennial theme taken from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "It is for us the living . . . to be dedicated . . ." here to the unfinished work Even as the festivities of this glorious year are in progress, Michigan State and the men which make it a great university will not rest. For they know of frontiers more challenging than geo graphical ones, they look for ideals upon which society can build hope, answering the needs of people everywhere. This then, is the story of Michigan State Col lege and our heritage from the first one hundred. The plant is here and the personnel for greater things just starting in the second hundred, as new generations of visionary men build for an even greater future. Tickets Available Tickets are available to alumni for Founders' Day Convocation, Saturday, February 12, at 3 p.m. They may be obtained from Starr Keesler, Director of including Feb. 11. Alumni Relations, up Write to Alumni Office, Union Building, Michigan State College. to and Membership Card Mailing Will Be Delayed The membership card mailing to all alumni will be delayed until February this year. Plans have been made to include the commemorative Centennial stamp and a First Day cover on the membership mailing. Because the stamp will not be issued until Founders' Day, Feb. 12, the mailing will be delayed until that day. ^ t U Q e nt e n r o l l m e nt Passed 15,000 mark, ranking M.S.C. eighth largest college in nation. 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 1857 1865 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935 1945 Figures for years prior to 1925 have been computed cumulatively. From 1925 on, all figures reflect Fall enrollments only. M.S.C Campus 1915-1955