February 03, 2010

A piece of the past

Here in the Archives we receive many donations - some are what might be expected - an old letter sweater or an old journal. Some of our donations are just plain odd - like the collection of bricks from Kingery Hall or the old ventilation grate from Center Hall. One of the odder pieces in our collection is the Halls Mentholyptus from Bryon Trippet's commencement regalia. I found it when we pulled some of his things out for the dedication of Trippet Hall. 

But sometimes the things we get are more like voices from the past.  This envelope is just such a piece.

A great deal of the business of the college is transacted via these inter-office correspondence envelopes. Jim Amidon brought this envelope over to the Archives because, despite its lowly function, it has captured a large piece of history.

The first name on the list is President Salter. Lew Salter was the 12th President of Wabash College. He served from 1978-1988. In 1988 Salter became the only Chancellor in Wabash history. That is the third entry on the envelope so we know that this envelope was in service during the year 1988-1989. When Lew Salter became Chancellor, Vic Powell stepped up into the presidency. We also see that entry - President Powell.

This envelope and hundreds like it fly around campus every day. It is not at all uncommon to see names of people who have left the college. Or in the case of President Salter who are no longer among the living. So as I look down the list, I see Don Dake who died just this week and Paul McKinney who died a few years ago. 

When I encounter an envelope with such names, I do what Jim Amidon did, I stop to reflect a minute on the lives of those now gone. It was thoughtful of Jim to pass along this envelope as it is truly a snapshot of the past.It captures in just a few names, a huge piece of our history.

It will be saved as an artifact and will, someday, serve to tell a story about that time in the history of Wabash.

Thanks Jim!

Best,

Beth

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January 26, 2010

We like Ike!

If you are in the area this semester, you might want to stop by the Lilly Library and have a look at our exhibit on the Elston men. A trio of savvy businessmen the Elstons were instrumental in Crawfordsville's strong economy. The Elston best known to Wabash is Isaac Compton Elston III - Ike.

Here is a great piece written by David Phillips as part of the Chapel Book project. David's research is meticulous and his ability to summarize a life in a single page is truly remarkable. Over the next few months, I will post his other pieces as they too are chock full of interesting facts and thoughtful insights.  Enjoy!

“I doubt that Wabash will ever have a more colorful trustee than I. C. Elston.  Part buccaneer, part bon vivant, part gracious gentleman, Ike Elston from the 1920s until the early 1960s was a splash of color on the Wabash board.  His service as a trustee was broken for a period when he resigned in the late Hopkins years, but his connection with Wabash was never broken.”

Byron K. Trippet, Wabash On My Mind

 

Born in Crawfordsville on November 13, 1873, Isaac Compton Elston, Jr. was a member of one of the town’s pioneering families. His grandfather, Major Isaac C. Elston, opened the first store and the first bank in Crawfordsville, served as the town’s first postmaster, built the first railroad in Indiana, served briefly as a Wabash College trustee, and built the house that is now the President’s official residence.

 

In 1888, aged fourteen, Elston enrolled in the Wabash College preparatory school, which he attended for two years.  After a brief sojourn at Marietta College in Ohio, Elston returned to Crawfordsville, where he worked for the family bank.

 

After serving as an officer in the Spanish-American War, Elston moved to Ottumwa, Iowa, progressing from meter reader to president of several public utilities corporations.  While in Iowa, he established a long-standing friendship with General Charles Dawes, later winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and Coolidge’s vice president from 1925 to 1929.  In 1912 Elston moved to Chicago, where he made a fortune in investment banking. 

 

In 1935 Elston returned to Crawfordsville and acquired the Elston Homestead, which had passed on to another branch of the family.  Within a few years he assumed a major role in the family bank.  Elston’s management style has been described as “powerful, constructive, and sometimes abrasive.”  Former colleagues report: “He wanted his way, and he was usually right.”  “By and large he was good for the bank.  Scared the hell out of a lot of people.”

 

Elston served on the Wabash Board of Trustees from 1921 to 1939 and again from 1942 to 1962.  Throughout this period he was a generous donor to the College, contributing more than $1.25 million, often for mundane but necessary projects.  He also worked with Will Hays, Sr. to raise the funds for the building of this Chapel.  Elston was active in alumni affairs, giving generously of both his time and money.   He consistently avoided official recognition of his service to Wabash, turning down the offer of an honorary LL.D. degree in 1957.

 

During the 1920s Elston adopted an opulent lifestyle common to the super-rich of the period.  And, after returning to Crawfordsville he became known for his lavish entertainments at the Elston Homestead.  He was also a colorful raconteur, although some of his stories had to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Elston died in Delray Beach, Florida on April 11, 1964.  In a final act of generosity he bequeathed his Homestead to the College.  Wabash Presidents have resided in the Elston Homestead since 1966.  A posthumous portrait of Elston, painted by Lee Detchon (Class of 1923), was presented to the College in 1970 and now hangs in the Chapel.

 

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January 08, 2010

Don't walk here!

 

When the Lilly Library was new, and indeed until the remodeling of the 1990's, one thing all Wabash men knew not to do was walk on the seal. It was just one of those traditions - like today's young men who will not walk under the arch. This seal was right in the middle of the main floor. It was not to be walked on by a student. When the Library was remodeled in the 90's a brass seal was installed in the entryway and the old seal was removed.

I am prompted to remember this seal because of the t-shirts we are working on for the Wedgeworth - Lilly Library Prize for research, scholarship or creative works. On the front of the t-shirt is the image of the gentleman in the library. One the back is this image...

This is actually a colorized photo of the seal in the Lilly Library. Dating back to the 1960's this image was used on a college brochure. So the old seal is not  under the carpet, but generations of alums still remember exactly where not to walk...

Best,

Beth

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January 06, 2010

Historic Image

January at Wabash means many things - if you are a senior, it means you are studying for your senior comprehensive exams "comps". If you have worked really hard and produced a scholarly product, then it might also mean that you are presenting at the "Celebration of Student Research, Scholarship and Creative Work" later in the month. The Celebration, as we now call it, is the one day of the academic year that Wabash cancels classes. 

The students dress up, present their works and then discuss them with dozens of members of the Wabash family. It is not uncommon to see students chatting with other students, then a member of the faculty, next a member of the board of trustees and then with a staff member. It is a delightful event, now in its tenth year. In the last few years, participants have received a t-shirt with the phrase "Wabash Always Cites" a play on the school motto, "Wabash Always Fights". Right in the center of the shirt is a great image of a gentleman in a library. It fits perfectly with the Celebration which is held in Detchon Hall.

Many of you may know that Yandes Hall was the old library. It has a great set of windows that look into the Arboretum. Part of the reason that this image seems to suit our college so well is that it was drawn for Wabash at the turn of the last century. This drawing was used several times on the cover of the old Wabash Magazine, a student publication. When the library started to offer a t-shirt to all participants, I volunteered to create a design. This image seemed to be the perfect fit.

The young gentleman, as drawn, is hard at work in the library studying. Actually, with the exception of the wardrobe, as I look at the seniors here in the Library studying for comps, it seems that some things never change here at Old Wabash. The gentlemen are still hard at work in the library!

Best,

Beth

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December 16, 2009

The Flying Dean

    Ehrensberger [W1929] at his desk at the University of Maryland in 1952

My family likes to tease me that I can connect Wabash men to anything, anywhere...While not exactly accurate, I am constantly surprised at the breadth of influence our alums have had and continue to have. So when my daughter called from Germany to say that she has enrolled in classes from the University of Maryland - I told her that she could do this because of the work of a Wabash man. She answered, "Of course, Mom!" Did I mention that my family hears this phrase a lot?

For decades hundreds of thousands of armed forces personnel and their families have been able to take college classes through the University of Maryland thanks to the vision and hard work of the man who came to be known as "the Flying Dean." Ray Ehrensberger [W1929] was an incredibly gifted student who, like thousands of others before him, came to Wabash from Indianapolis. He pledged the Sigma Chi fraternity and again, like so many other Wabash students, Ray worked his way through college. In a pattern that would continue through his long life, he did what thousands of others have done - but in a totally different way. While most students found work around town, perhaps in restaurants, shops or doing odd jobs, Ray's job was as a fireman on the Monon Railroad!

Ray made a big impression on campus and, although he studied history, it was in the Speech Department that Ray really soared. The Speech Department at Wabash in the 1920's was headed by W. Norwood Brigance, a teacher of national repute. Ray came to be one of Briggie's Boys, as the members of the speech and debate teams were known. As a junior in 1928 Ehrensberger won the state and the national oratorical contest.

Following graduation in 1929, Ray completed his master's and doctorate degree and by 1932 he was the chair of the speech department at Franklin College.  A young man on his way up and in a big hurry. Ehrensberger went to the University of Maryland and just three years later was the chair of that speech department.  In 1950 Ray Ehrensberger was appointed the Director of the Overseas program.

While attending classes remotely is now so commonplace that a person can learn almost anywhere in the world this is a relatively new phenomenon. In 1950 soldiers who were stationed overseas were severely limited in their educational opportunities. It was through Ray's work with the U of M that this changed. In a quote from the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, "He taught the University of Maryland’s first course offered on a military installation in 1946. He advanced to the position of Dean of the College of Special and Continuation Studies (CSCS) at the University of Maryland, recognized as a flagship institution in offering educational programs on military installations around the world." He flew thousands of miles each year establishing classes and sites, attending graduations and organizing a worldwide program.

From a U of Maryland posting about Ray's posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame, "With his guidance, University of Maryland University College . . . became the first university to offer academic courses and degree programs taught on site at U.S. military bases abroad; the first to send its faculty to teach in a war zone (in Vietnam); and the first to confer bachelor’s degrees at U.S. military installations overseas. More than any other individual, Ray Ehrensberger was responsible for these remarkable developments and their success.”

This entry from the Wabash Magazine of 1970 gives us a better sense of the great work that Ray did over the course of a lifetime.

   So when I hear my daughter tell me enthusiastically about the course offerings she has available in Germany, I smile and think what a great chance for her. As the Archivist of Wabash, I think of the hundreds of thousands of others who have benefited from this Wabash man's pursuit of excellence and passion for education.

Best,

Beth

 

For more information on Ray's great work, here are two links

http://www.halloffame.outreach.ou.edu/2004/Ehrensberger.html

http://www.umuc.edu/fyionline/may_04/fyionline8.html

 

 

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December 07, 2009

Elmore Day in December?

Many alumni still remember Elmore Day as a warm, sunny golden day  when all classes were canceled and students were free to wander Shades or Turkey Run state parks or to go canoeing. Some hardy folks would stay on campus and listen to readings from the works of the Bard of Alamo - James Buchanan Elmore.  I believe "Sassafras, oh, sassafras" was a favorite selection. 

Tom Wilson [W1977] professor of law at  Indiana University School of Law contacted me a few weeks ago about donating some of the Bard's works to the Archives. It seems that while on break from college, Tom learned that one of his parent's neighbors was a relative of James B. Elmore. Tom screwed up  his courage and knocked on the door.  The visit went well and Tom purchased five books and several copies of a genealogy for only $10.

Tom came to campus Friday of last week, a bone chilling day with a cold wind. Yet as I watched Tom and listened to Professor Don Herring read from a couple of the books - it didn't seem quite as cold...Watching these two good friends sharing a laugh was just a delight. The verses were flowing - never mind the weather, it was Elmore Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among the items that Tom donated was a book published in 1959 by Elmore's son, Albert, entitled Newspaper Clippings from James. B. Elmore's Old Scrapbook. It is a fascinating collection of poems, newspaper stories and includes several pictures. In this book we are treated to story after story about the Bard of Alamo selling his books on the streets, lack of respect by the literati of the time, Elmore's scorn for the poetry of "Jim Riley" - now revered as the poet Jame Whitcomb Riley. Really quite a little book. Tom's gift will be kept safe here in the Archives and many thanks to him for thinking of the Archives. Who knew Elmore Day could happen in December?

Best,

Beth

 

photos by Kim Johnson of Wabash College

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December 03, 2009

The Great War

The Great War

Last time I wrote about peeking into the past, using old photographs to take us to places and times that we would never see any other way. This week, I feel a bit like I have had an overload of peeking into the past. We have so many amazing images here in the Archives that it really is impossible to see them all. There are, though, some sets that are just unforgettable. The World War I photographic scrapbook of Milo Bushong [W1915] is one of those unforgettable collections.  The images are just incredible! They are also, some of them, incredibly graphic.

 

Milo Bushong was a captain and a dental surgeon in the Great War, as seen in this photograph which is labeled "France, 1917." The album is quite a mix of pictures - most were taken by Bushong, some are clearly pictures of other pictures as we can see the pins in the wall. There is also a group of pictures of German Troops and military locations which appear to have been purchased as a set. and they all have white numerals on the image. The picture below is one of this set.

This phohtograph gives us quite a picture of life underground during the War. Among these images are other pictures of soldiers digging deep trenches, underground bunkers really, and reinforcing them with strong wooden posts. It is an engaging picture of life in a bunker.

In this photo of General Pershing taken by Bushong we see Pershing engaged in an intense conversation. What catches me about this picture is not the two men, but the children in the background listening and watching so very intently.

This collection has several pictures of airplanes, many on the ground, some shots taken from the air and a few, like this one, which show the fragility of these flying machines.

 

Tanks came to be a large part of the military arsenal during this war. Here we see two tanks zipping along while thousands of people crowd at the edges of the street. Unfortunately, these images are not labeled so we don't know the back story of this shot.

 While the weapons of war were making broad advances technologically speaking, medicine was still decades away from any antibiotics to save the lives of the wounded. The results were heavy casualties – so heavy among the English that the phrase “the lost generation” was used to describe those who died. The photo below is of an ambulance corps loading casualties.

In this next photo, we see two soldiers carefully working among the remains of dozens of soldiers. The man on the left appears to be checking for indentification while the soldier on the right is making notes for future reference. Behind these two men we see row upon row of crosses as the beginning of a military cemetery is taking shape. This photo shows the side of war that we rarely see.  The crosses have a voice all their own. In this powerful picture, we are reminded of the costs of war. It really is impossible to see this image and not think of all of the friends and families who never saw their soldier again.

 

This scrapbook is truly a window into a different time and place. Photographs of World War I are always disturbing. I wonder if part of my unease stems from the fact that as terrible as this war was, in less than 20 years Europe was again engulfed in war.   The next war was even bigger and many of the strategies and weapons that were so fearsome in WWII were introduced and perfected in this war. Called the "Great War" at the time, the seeds of destruction that grew into WWII were sown here on these battlefields. It would take another great war, a world war, to put an end to this European conflict. 

Best,

Beth

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