• г
way since the doors «if its one build¬
ing were opened on that October day
nearly 50 years ago to 72 students
representing 37 counties in North
Carolina. Six pr<'fc— <<i> and two as¬
sistants greeted tho-e young- ter* then,
and. with their limited facilities,
.м
out "it an historic undertaking in high¬
er education. Its destiny was dubious
to nil except a handful of farsighted
men, including the Watauga Club
organized to light for facilities to pro¬
duce lietter farmers and supply the
State with trained engineers for the
development of industries. This group
included such far-seeing men as
Walter Page. W. K. Ashby, Joseph us
Daniels. W. .1. I'eelc, Arthur Wins¬
low. John W. Thompson, Charles
l-atta and (i. K. beak. They were aided
ill the General Assembly by men of
vision such as Augustus I .oarer of
Iredell County. S. H. Alexander of
Mecklenburg and Tlmmas Dixon of
( 'leveland.
Holladay Hall, the first building erected at Stale College.
State College
lis fifliolli anniversary will lie
<*cklckbrafe<l this f»ll. Remarkable
progress lias boen made during
I lie lialf-cenl ury of its ckxist«knc*o.
By C. A. UPCHURCH. JR.
STATK COLLEGE is the Cinder¬
ella of the Souths educational
institution* ! Kicked around at
the start, -lie ha- grown into a pfotid
Alina Mater who holds her head high
with the best technological college-
in the country.
Fifty year- ago State College meek¬
ly struggled into being while some of
the greatest men of the day sadly
-hook their heads over the futility of
it all. loudly predicting a brief and
misguided existence for the education¬
al stripling.
The already venerable University of
North Carolina had consistently re¬
fused to iu-tall course.- in agriculture
and indu-ii'inl education," and the Uni¬
versity’s president repeatedly ap¬
peared before legislative committees to
cite the n-cle— in . f giving education
to “mechanic- and farmers."
Confounding the prophets of doom,
however. Slate College leapt forward
with surpri-ing vigor. Enrolled at
the college this year are 2.155 young
men who are confident “farmer- and
mechanics" had best he educated. And
before I hem, gone into every nook and
corner of the world, are thousands of
well-trained, substantial alumni who
have the same idea — melt who are
throwing great bridges over giant
chasms, teaching farmers all that
science can learn about agriculture,
building dams to re-cue wa-teland*
and give light to millions, string¬
ing highway* throughout the land,
clothing the civilized world in the
Itest raiment the mighty textile in¬
dustry can produce, creating new
magic in chemistry and ceramics
so tbc world will be a more comfort able
place, developing and conserving nat¬
ural resources, getting the most from
their farms and delving into a thous¬
and research projects front which a
fuller and richer life will emerge for
untold millions.
Ye*. State College has come a long
Legislative Action
In IS85 Mr. I
introduced in
the House a bill to establish the North
Carolina College of Agriculture and
Mechanic Art-. It passed, 50 to 11.
Over in the Senate, the measure was
actively supported by S.
И.
Alexander,
Willi* K. Williams, John Gatling and
II. W. Winston, anil passed by a vote
of 23 to !*. It became law on March
7. 1885.
On October 3. 1880. State College
opened in Holladay Hall, tunned for
tbc first President. Dr. Mcxnndcr Q.
Holladay. In this one building the 72
students slept, ate and studied, ami
from here they -nil i«--l forth daily to
work the college's 0(1. acre farm with
the two little mule* and one horse
that represented the institution's sole
-lock.
Knrollment. teaching personnel,
physical size, curriculum and service
to North Carolina have expanded
widely since opening day that Oc¬
tober. Tbc college now has 32 modern,
steam-heated buildings and eight
more are under eon«t ruction. It has
120 employees, with 242 on the in-
•trnctional staff. The curriculum con¬
tains 777 classes. The college plant i-
valued at more than $5.000.000. It is
the spearhead of North Carolina's ag¬
ricultural progress, the center of the
State’s agriculture! research and ed¬
ucation. As many a- 10.000 persons
have gathered on the State College
campu- in a single year to participate
in its adult education program, ex¬
clusive of the hundreds taking cor¬
respondence course*. The College Ex¬
tension Division, giving learning to
thousands off the campu-. i« the larg-
( Continued on
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