DUKE
In 1888 the city of Durham offered
550.0(H) and a sixteen-acre site to the
Baptist Female Academy. The college
;ommissioners declined to accept on
he grounds that Durham was a cul-
urally and morally unfit place in
•vhich to form young ladies. Raleigh
got the female academy, and four years
ater Durham got Duke University.
But at that time it was Trinity Col-
:ge, located in Randolph County since
838. Founded by Methodists and
Quakers, Trinity never had been com¬
pletely wedded to academic tradition-
ilism. For instance, little more than
decade after Reconstruction, she in¬
cited a Yankee. John Franklin Cro-
atcII, to be her president. It was during
- lis tenure that private citizens in Dur-
lam accomplished the removal of
Trinity to the city. General Julian S.
Carr, already a trustee of the college,
offered Blackwell Park as a site; and
' Washington Duke put up $85,000. In
1892 Trinity settled on its brand new
eampus.
Generously endowed by Durham
ind expertly guided by professional
scholars, Trinity's program and pa-
ronage forged ahead. Its next big era
з
lawned with the signing of the Duke
ndenture in 1924. This fantastic gift
pf James B, Duke, largest made for
any purpose in the South, went to
rphanages, hospitals, churches, and
many colleges; but most of all to Duke
University, for that's what he wanted
Trinity to be called. 'The initial cn-
lowmcnt amounted to about $40,000,-
Ю0.
and an additional $40,000,000
ell to the University at the death of
ts benefactor the following year.
Little Trinity had a new name and
ots of money. One of the first things
he did with it was to remodel the old
:ampus, now East Campus for
women, and construct a new’ West
Campus, in Gothic style, for men.
Building facilities taken care of for
he time being, Duke concentrated on
excellence. Excellence in teaching, in
resources, in scholarship, and in ath-
etics. Today Duke University has the
Irst-ranking library’ in the South, a
THE STATE. March t7. 1962
Demonstrates a University Can
Have Quality as Well as Quantity
Acial vie» ot Duke University
handpicked student body of 6.000, a
faculty numbering some 700. a 660-
bed hospital, and athletic facilities
which include indoor and outdoor
stadiums, (biggest in the state), a
basketball field, tennis courts, and an
18-hole golf course. Among the more
unusual resources which it offers are
a Methodist Divinity School, a 7 .000-
acre forestry "laboratory." the Marine
Laboratory at Beaufort. N. C\, a World
Rule of Law Center, and the world-
famous Parapsychology Laboratory.
Duke's tradition of academic free¬
dom is well rooted in the past. In an
article about race relations in 1903.
history professor Stephen Bassett said
that the two greatest men in the South
had been Robert
П.
Lee and Booker T.
Washington. A furor of protest was
raised, especially by Josephus Daniels
of the Raleigh Nem and Observer,
and Bassett's resignation was vocifer¬
ously demanded. Administration and
students stood behind their professor,
and the Trinity trustees issued a sig¬
nificant and policy-setting statement
on the matter. "We are particularly
unw illing to lend ourselves to any tend¬
ency to destroy or limit academic
liberty." it stated, and closed with the
words . . . "the evils of intolerance
and suppression are infinitely worse
than those of folly."
Duke University is entering upon a
new phase of growth which seems to
prove again its ability to increase size
and stature at the same time. In the
offing are faculty raises amounting to
$2,000,000; recommended construc¬
tion projects worth $32'/i million; and
$4,500,000 in additions to the library.
The number of distinguished profes¬
sorships was increased from 18-32 in
a single year. The financial and honor¬
ary benefits accompanying the distin¬
guished professor awards helps keep
outstanding teachers on the campus.
Presence of the Research Triangle
Park means an invigorated program of
exchange between basic and applied
researchers in the area.
It would be hard to estimate Duke
University's effect on the surrounding
community. Much of the cultural and
recreational activity of Durham cen¬
ters there. The Sarah P. Duke Me¬
morial gardens delight thousands of
visitors yearly, as does the chapel, with
its 210-ft. carillon tower loftily domi¬
nating West Campus. I he excellent
school of forestry was a big drawing
card when the question of Research
( Continued on
/пще
2H)
1
з
