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The Springfield Student (vol. 127, no. 14) Jan. 31, 2012
No full text“The Springfield Student” was first published in 1909 in the Association Seminar, an alumni publication. The portion published in the Association Seminar has been digitized and can be seen in The Springfield College Alumni Magazine Collection (http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p16122coll3/searchterm/The%20Springfield%20Student/field/spring/mode/all/conn/and/order/date). Generally, “The Springfield Student” includes information about student organizations, athletics, alumni, and events. It also occasionally includes student poetry and fiction, as well as the conclusions of student-designed research. As the publication evolved, “The Springfield Student” began including editorials on world events and popular culture, as well as letters to the editor. Originally, the “Springfield Student” was published monthly from October through June, and its formatting resembled a magazine. In October 1913, the cover illustration simplified to only the title, the date, and the capital letter “S,” but the content and structure remained unchanged. On September 27, 1916, “The Springfield Student” was reformatted to resemble a newspaper: the pages decreased from around thirty to just four, it no longer included a cover, and it became a weekly publication. In the inaugural weekly issue, the editors explained the motivation behind the change: “To sustain the intimate and helpful relations that our Alumni and College should stress we feel that a weekly news publication is the best possible medium. [...] It is the purpose of the Staff to cover all College and Student Association activities in a very live way, reporting athletic contests in brief snappy articles, and giving members of the Alumni Associations space for contributions and newsy items.” During October 1917, in acknowledgement of the limited resources and significantly smaller student body caused by the United States’ involvement in World War I, the “The Springfield Student” ceased its weekly publication and instead published a few pages each month in the “The Association Seminar.” Two years later, October 1919, “The Springfield Student” resumed weekly publication. In this first issue, the editors wrote that they wanted to re-establish the newspaper “as the mouthpiece or spokesman of the student body.
International Center Newsletter, October, 2012 (Vol. 2)
No full textThis four-page manuscript is the International Center Newsletter for October, 2012. It is Volume 2. The newsletter has images and information of International Students and from events that were arranged or participated in by the International Center and/or students. There is also information on Humanics in Action Day and the visit of Kokugakuin Univsity students and a continuing agreement signing with the school.To learn move about the Springfield College International Center, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/corporate_entities/3
Finding Aid: RG 1131 - Art Linkletter Natatorium Records
No full textThis collection documents the construction, opening, and the running of the Linkletter Natatorium. The collection contains general information, news articles, correspondence, planning documents, photographs, slides, and design drawings created by the architects, Munson and Mallis, Inc. The collection contains many memos, letters, printed materials, speeches, film, and planning documents on the dedication of the Linkletter Natatorium. Of particular interest are pictures of Art Linkletter, the namesake of the building, including pictures of the famous race between him and Charles E. Silvia, long-time men’s swimming and diving coach. Also of note are some interesting pictures of the emptied pool, including a marketing shop of students pictured swimming at the bottom of the pool.Arthur Gordon Linkletter, otherwise known as Art Linkletter, first learned of the student’s dissatisfaction with the College’s swimming and diving facilities when he was elected to the Springfield College Board of Trustees in 1961. The McCurdy pool, also known as the “McCurdy bathtub,” had been built a half century earlier and was extremely small. At the time it was adequate for the College’s 165 male students, but with more than 1,500 male and female undergraduates attending Springfield in 1965, improvements had to be made. Linkletter came up with the idea of constructing a new swimming and diving facility for the intercollegiate and intramural athletics that could also be used to teach the College’s health, physical education, and recreation programs.
The proposed cost of this new facility was 250,000 and donated this money towards the cost of the project. Students were swept up in Linkletter’s enthusiasm for the project, and he along with 1,000 raised 273,278 was also procured for building the natatorium. Alumni gifts and other sources provided the remainder of the money.
Groundbreaking took place on April 30, 1966. At the time of its construction, the new building was located right next to the Memorial Field House (Memorial Field House was demolished in 1979). The natatorium had a graceful steel arch roof, with the arches rising to 45 ft at their peaks. The pool was 169 feet and one inch long x 44 feet wide and was 4 feet deep at the south end and 12 feet, 6 inches deep at the deep end. It had a movable bulkhead that could shorten and lengthen the pool. At the time, the length of the pool made the natatorium the longest indoor collegiate pool in the East with a movable bulkhead. The Olympic-sized pool was the site of many local, regional, and national championship events. Permanent bleachers could seat 490 spectators, roll-out bleachers could seat 510, and additional seating was provided on the balcony. Other interesting features were two classrooms with underwater picture windows used to allow coaches and instructors visualize and correct swimming technique. They could do this through the use of underwater speakers. There was also a closed circuit television system at two underwater and three above water locations to further analyze swimming skills.
The new facility was named the “Art Linkletter Natatorium,” taking into account Linkletter’s contributions to its development. The building was dedicated on October 21, 1967. Interestingly, the former Swimming coach, Charles E. “Red” Silvia and Linkletter raced each other in the new pool. They each swam one length (169 feet, 1 inch). Linkletter ended up beating Silvia by a tenth of a second, and it was later discovered that Linkletter had trained for three months prior to the event.
In 2008 the new Wellness and Recreation Complex was opened. The building includes the Wellness Center, Field House, Athletic Training/ Exercise Science facility, and 160,560 square feet of instructional, athletic, and recreational space adjoining the Physical Education Complex and the Art Linkletter Natatorium. The Art Linkletter Natatorium is incorporated into the physical structure of the Wellness and Recreation Complex.
Written by Nicole DeCristoforo, 201
Finding Aid: RG 121 - East Campus Records
No full textThis collection contains information on East Campus development and history. Most information on the buildings on East Campus property are contained in collections specific to those buildings, such as RG 130 – Loveland Chapel Records, RG 131 – The Pueblo of the Seven Fires Building Records, and RG 139 – Reeds Landing Records, though information on this structures can be found in the collection. Specifically in the collection, there is a history of East Campus property and programs from 1905-1952 compiled by Dr. Charles Weckwerth in 1988, some pictures of the minor structures and the grounds of East Campus, various general, maintenance and topographical maps of East Campus, biology papers with pictures of the campus in 1957, planning and report documents from 1958-1964, and 1990’s assessment and planning documents including some drawings and floor plans for cabins and the Pueblo of the Seven Fires. Of particular interest are the materials in Series 3: Springfield High School Controversy, 1980. These materials include newspaper articles, mailings, correspondence and minutes of meetings, a report on East Campus being selected as an experimental ecological reserve, and information on the eventual High School site, Blunt Park.East Campus refers to the pleasant wooded property bounded by Wilbraham Road and Lake Massasoit that lies to the east of the main campus of Springfield College. Presently East Campus is about 60 acres on Lake Massasoit, with a mile of shoreline. There are three structures on the property: Loveland Chapel (dedicated 1981), which now serves as an early childhood education facility, The Pueblo of the Seven Fires, a southwestern style building utilized for a multitude of events including social functions, but most importantly as an integral part of “freshman Camp” and the college’s summer day camp programs (Camp Massasoit), and, lastly, the retirement community presently known as Loomis Village at Reed’s Landing.
The acquisition of the property that makes up East Campus began in 1905, when Jacob Gerrish, a waterfront landowner, deeded a plot of land with a ½ mile of shoreline to the college. This property came to be known as Gerrish Grove. This land was located on the south shore of the lake across from the training school site. Following Mr. Gerrish’s death, it was discovered that he had bequeathed an additional 25 acres to the College. At this time the College, then known as the International YMCA Training School, was expanding its “Boys Work” program, in particular the outdoor recreation components of the program. Over the next twenty plus years the college acquired well over 150 acres around Lake Massasoit. By the mid-20s the school had moved much of its outdoor recreational and camping programs to the area abutting Wilbraham Rd that is now known as East Campus. Programs and activities that still take place on this land to this day.
During the late 1920s, the outdoor programs had grown to a level that it was decided that East Campus needed permanent structures. In 1930 the Board of Trustees approved the construction of the Pueblo of the Seven Fires. This was not the first structure on East Campus, though. The first structure erected was the Pukwana Lodge. Pukwana means “Smoke of Indian Peace Pipe.” Built as a trial run for the Pueblo to ensure that the materials used in building a Pueblo structure (structures typically built by Native Americans in the Southwestern United States using adobe mud bricks) in the Northeast could withstand the winter’s Frost, the Pukwana Lodge was a one room structure with an open fireplace in one corner. It was dedicated on November 18, 1931. The structure no longer exists. The Pueblo, the only authentic southwestern pueblo structure east of the Mississippi, was dedicated in 1932 and originally provided meeting space, activity areas, storage, and living accommodations for the East Campus caretaker. The 4,4000 square-foot structure follows a classic southwestern design, with walls 24” thick at the base, tapering to 16” at the top. The floors are made of brick and the original roof was constructed of oak planks lying beneath a tarred layer overlaid with two or more inches of sand and soil to provide both insulation and fire protection from potential forest fires. The interior of the Pueblo features seven fire places, including a large fireplace donated by 4-H clubs. The seven fires refer to the seven fires of youth: self-expression, universality, ruggedness, regret/humility, truth, comradeship and beauty. The Pueblo also has a large central hall, or “Crane Lodge,” an east wing called “Reed Lodge,” the west wing called “Post Lodge,” and the Robinson room. A full kitchen is on the first floor, and offices and residential space is on the second floor. Of particular interest inside the building are the murals in the “Post Lodge” created by Wo Peen. Wo peen, also known as Luis Gonzalez, was a famous Native American Artist known for his traditional murals and paintings. Edgar M. Robinson and Ernest Seton Thompson, both considered founders of the Boy Scouts, participated in the design of the building. In 1950, the Pueblo was officially designated the E.M. Robinson Pueblo of the Seven Fires, in honor of Edgar Monroe Robinson. Today the Pueblo is still used as it was originally designed, as a student learning facility hosting classes, camp groups and acting as a special function hall.
An important event that occurred early in the history of the East Campus was the Hurricane of 1938. The Hurricane left widespread destruction at East Campus, with over three hundred trees lost between the Pueblo and the shoreline. Amazingly enough only 1 tree of the “Cathedral of Living Trees,” a group of trees planted in the shape of cross, fell. It was decided that the fallen trees be used to construct permanent cabins and/or Adirondack style shelters. Hundreds of red pines were planted to replace the lost trees.
During the years of WWII, the college was used by the military as a hospital and rehabilitation facility and further expansion of programs and facilities on East Campus came to a halt. After the war, in 1944, the Executive Committee of the Board authorized President Best to dispose of land holdings on the South Shore of Lake Massasoit. This marked the first of many sales of the land originally obtained. The holdings amounted to about 80 acres and the committee set a price of $50,000. Over the next 4 to 5 years the property was sold under the leadership of President Limbert (1946-1952), including much the waterfront properties on the south shore. This resulted in additional funds for the College as well as a renewed commitment to the remaining acres of East Campus. Much of the land during the years of the war as well as immediately afterwards had been neglected and the added funds helped maintain the land that remained. In addition, a vision of the land being used as an environmental laboratory emerged with this commitment, expanding the traditional programs of camping and outdoor recreation to include developing and nurturing this unique environment through life sciences programs. Over time, plantings, conservation methods and maintenance of the area became a prime issue under the leadership of Dr. John Brainerd of the Biology Department.
Through a committee formed in the late 1950s and headed by Dr. John Brainerd the primary function of East Campus was outlined as being the education of students and faculty and included five subsidiary functions: education of the greater community, recreation for members of the faculty, protection of natural environment, living accommodations for students and faculty, use of campgrounds by outside groups. This committee also proposed a nature study center with a museum, library and laboratories. These proposals were further outlined in later proposal to include leadership development. Though not all these proposals, such as museum, library and science labs, were pursued, the concept of the greater good and the land’s use as a tool for leadership development continue to inform the development and running of East Camus to this day.
In 1980, East Campus and Springfield College came into conflict with the City of Springfield. The city was searching for a site for a new high school and the Mayor thought East Campus to be the ideal location. Although the College was opposed to the plan and the Board of Trustees overwhelmingly voted the “land is not for sale,” city officials pushed strongly to take the land. At the time, East Campus was selected as one of 12 sites in New England as an Experimental Geological Reserve by the National Science Foundation. This along with strong Community and College uproar, eventually led the new high school to be shifted to another location (becoming Central High School on land originally part of Blunt Park), and East Campus and its 80+ acres remained untouched.
A brief decade later, though, the property was again under intense attack. This time the attack came from within the Springfield College Community itself. And in spite of overwhelming opposition by students, faculty, alumni and neighbors, an agreement was reached under the leadership of President Falcone with Bay State Health Systems to lease 23.6 acres of East Campus for the construction of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) on East Campus. In January, 1990, the Board of Trustees approved a 75 year lease of the property. According to President Falcone, the lease would provide “income in support of the Springfield College mission.” This became what today is known as Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, or just Reeds Landing when it opened.
Today, East Campus continues to provide outdoor education and camping experiences to students and summer day camp adventure to youngsters from the area. The amount of land has shrunk from well over 150 acres to around 60 acres. It, though, still provides a significant green space in the urban environment of Springfield for recreational and camping experience, as well as an area to hone leadership skills and have intense educational experiences.
Written and researched by Sheila Thompson in January, 201
Finding Aid: RG 120 Cheney Hall Records
No full textThis collection documents the planning, construction, and use of Cheney Hall. The collection includes general information about the hall, floor plans, news articles, an original plaque in honor of Ralph L. Cheney and R. William Cheney, and photographs. The bulk of the collection is the photographs. These include many photographs of the exterior and interior of Cheney Hall before the latest renovations. There are also copies of a sketch or rough outline of the sports Wall Mural eventually put up near the dish return station dated August 2004 (the artist name was cut off and can only make out Garrett McCar…). Outline includes notes of plan. The final wall mural was different from this outline.Under the leadership of President Wilbert E. Locklin, ground was broken in June of 1967 for construction of a new dining hall on campus. The facility, financed privately by the college, would be able to serve 2400 students during a meal period, or 800 at one sitting. This building would replace the existing cafeteria in Woods Hall, which had a serving capacity of 950 per dining period and only 300 per sitting.
The cost of the 26,500 sq. ft. facility was $950,000. The Architect for the building was A. P. Casella of Agawam. Ley Construction Co. of Springfield was the general contractor. The original single story rectangular structure was 178’ 8” wide and 123’ deep. A semi-circular wall curving outward at the front added 45’ to the depth of the structure. The curve of the wall continued into the main part of the building, fortifying a circular central dining area 124’ in diameter. Originally there was a covered portico, supported by 13 columns that followed this curve. This portico provided shelter and shape to students. Later in 2005, this portico was used in the expansion of the dining hall and now serves as pleasant and extra seating for the cafeteria. The kitchen is located behind the dining rotunda. There were two separate smaller dining areas that were used for faculty and staff as well as special functions. The smaller room, also called “The Gold Room,” was 17’ by 13’, while the larger room, also known as “The Grumman Room,” was 31’ x 63’ and could be separated by a folding door into smaller rooms. These rooms could seat 40 and 110 persons respectively. Today, these rooms are simply called Cheney rooms A & B and are still used for special functions such as Maroon Athlete of the week lunches.
Construction was completed in 10 months and the new facility opened on April 1, 1968, and the building was dedicated on June 15, 1968. The building was dedicated and named in honor of Ralph L. Cheney, class of 1901, and R. William Cheney, class of 1933 who were very influential at Springfield College and beyond. The plaque unveiled at the dedication said, “Cheney Hall In honor of Ralph L. Cheney, ‘01 Professor R. William Cheney, ’33 Dean of Students, Father and Son. June 15, 1963”
Ralph Cheney, 1889-1964, was a 1901 graduate of Springfield College. Following graduation, he pursued a career with the YMCA. Cheney returned to Springfield College in 1907 as a professor of sociology and in 1910 added the Duties of Director of Secretarial Course. In 1924 Cheney returned to YMCA at both the National and International level. In 1937 Ralph Cheney was a recipient of the Tarbell Medallion.
R. William Cheney, 1909-1965, graduated from Springfield College in 1933. Cheney, following in the footsteps of his father, entered YMCA work. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943-1946. Following his discharge, he returned to Springfield College as Director of Admissions and Professor of Guidance. In 1953 Cheney became Dean of Students. Dean Cheney died in 1965, working in Africa at the University of Liberia while on leave from Springfield College. R. William Cheney was awarded, posthumously, the Tarbell Medallion in 1966.
Beginning in fall of 2004 with a corporately funded grant, Springfield College and Aramark set out to organize a complete renovation of dining services to better suit the needs of the students and the college. The majority of the renovations would consist of completely gutting the existing structure of Cheney Hall and reworking the area into a more spacious and comfortable setting for students to dine in. Meals would be prepped in a more of a restaurant made-to-order manner, with the chefs right out in the open instead of in the back rooms. Storage would be held to a minimum and deliveries would be made on a daily basis to ensure the highest possible level of freshness for meals. Some new ideas include a brick oven pizzeria, a fresh bakery, and a northern foods station. The grill, pasta station, and salad bar will likely make a comeback with some remodeling.
Beginning the day after graduation and over the summer 2004, the whole building was gutted down to the rafters. All of the power, electrical wiring, and the old heating and air conditioning systems were taken out and rebuilt from scratch. The result was a more expansive seating area complete with two different levels and many different stations to get food. The Northern Station features home-cooked foods and dinners, Café Roma serves Italian food like pizza and pasta, the American Bakery offers baked desserts and breads, the deli has hand-made wraps and a salad bar, and the Cheney Grill remains, still offering things like grilled cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries. There are also places to pick up cereal, soft-serve ice cream, and coffee.
One of the more controversial changes to the new dining hall was the changes made to the meal plans. Previously, each food item was charged separately. With the new changes, students now had to pay for a meal on entry to Cheney and could choose to eat as much or as little as they pleased. However, meals could no longer be taken out of the cafeteria. Each meal plan consisted of a certain number of meals a week and a separate amount of dining dollars to spend in the Beverage Center (BC) where Subway, Java City, and Freshens were moved. Students could also use dining dollars to order Domino’s Pizza that could be delivered to campus. Furthermore, glass plates, plastic cups, and metal silverware cut down the trash output of the building. Springfield decided to make such drastic changes in order to keep up with other colleges.
Written by Sheila Thompson, 201
McDonald's on site of Original School for Christian Workers, 2011
No full textA photograph of the McDonald's that now occupies the site of the original School for Christian Workers building where basketball was first created. The School (now Springfield College) was built on the corner of State and Sherman streets in Springfield, Massachusetts. The building has been known by many different names over the years including the Winchester Square Building, the Mason Square building and the Armory Hill building.Construction on the building was completed in the spring of 1886 and it was dedicated on June 1 of that year. The building consisted of a reading room, gymnasium, parlor, a recitation room, an amusement room and fifty sleeping rooms. The Armory Hill YMCA also rented rooms in the building. In 1891 James Naismith, while a faculty member at the school, invented the game of basketball in the gymnasium of the building. In 1890 the School for Christian Workers separated into two schools which continued to operate out of the same building, the YMCA Training School and the School for Christian Workers. In 1896 the Training School finished the transition to its new location on Alden Street and in 1897 the School for Christian Workers became the Bible Normal College and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. The original building was torn down in 1965 to create a parking lot. In 1995, McDonald’s Corporation bought the land, excavating the original foundation and bricks before building a restaurant on the site. Today, there is a monument commemorating the site as the birthplace of basketball.This is originally a digital image saved as a jpg file. A master, uncompressed tiff was created, along with a print copy that was set into the physical collection to maintain consistency within the collection
The Original Site of Basketball Panel in the Monument to the First Game of Basketball on Mason Square, 2011
No full textA photograph of the original site of basketball panel for the memorial monument to the creation of the game of Basketball on Mason Square in Springfield Massachusetts. The memorial sits across the street (State Street) from the original site of the School for Christian Workers building where the game was first played. A McDonald's currently sits on the site.The Memorial was dedicated on August 8, 2010. The memorial consists of an adult passing the ball to a child, and is surrounded by plexiglass panels that tell the history of the game of basketball. Also included are the front steps to the building that were saved when the building was torn down. The School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) Building was built on the corner of State and Sherman streets in Springfield, Massachusetts. The building has been known by many different names over the years including the Winchester Square Building, the Mason Square building and the Armory Hill building. Construction on the building was completed in the spring of 1886 and it was dedicated on June 1 of that year. The building consisted of a reading room, gymnasium, parlor, a recitation room, an amusement room and fifty sleeping rooms. The Armory Hill YMCA also rented rooms in the building. In 1891 James Naismith, while a faculty member at the school, invented the game of basketball in the gymnasium of the building. In 1890 the School for Christian Workers separated into two schools which continued to operate out of the same building, the YMCA Training School and the School for Christian Workers. In 1896 the Training School finished the transition to its new location on Alden Street and in 1897 the School for Christian Workers became the Bible Normal College and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. The original building was torn down in 1965 to create a parking lot. In 1995, McDonald’s Corporation bought the land, excavating the original foundation and bricks before building a restaurant on the site. Today, there is a monument commemorating the site as the birthplace of basketball.This is originally a digital image saved as a jpg file. A master, uncompressed tiff was created, along with a print copy that was set into the physical collection to maintain consistency within the collection
The Springfield Student (vol. 125, no. 19) Mar. 3, 2011
No full text“The Springfield Student” was first published in 1909 in the Association Seminar, an alumni publication. The portion published in the Association Seminar has been digitized and can be seen in The Springfield College Alumni Magazine Collection (http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p16122coll3/searchterm/The%20Springfield%20Student/field/spring/mode/all/conn/and/order/date). Generally, “The Springfield Student” includes information about student organizations, athletics, alumni, and events. It also occasionally includes student poetry and fiction, as well as the conclusions of student-designed research. As the publication evolved, “The Springfield Student” began including editorials on world events and popular culture, as well as letters to the editor. Originally, the “Springfield Student” was published monthly from October through June, and its formatting resembled a magazine. In October 1913, the cover illustration simplified to only the title, the date, and the capital letter “S,” but the content and structure remained unchanged. On September 27, 1916, “The Springfield Student” was reformatted to resemble a newspaper: the pages decreased from around thirty to just four, it no longer included a cover, and it became a weekly publication. In the inaugural weekly issue, the editors explained the motivation behind the change: “To sustain the intimate and helpful relations that our Alumni and College should stress we feel that a weekly news publication is the best possible medium. [...] It is the purpose of the Staff to cover all College and Student Association activities in a very live way, reporting athletic contests in brief snappy articles, and giving members of the Alumni Associations space for contributions and newsy items.” During October 1917, in acknowledgement of the limited resources and significantly smaller student body caused by the United States’ involvement in World War I, the “The Springfield Student” ceased its weekly publication and instead published a few pages each month in the “The Association Seminar.” Two years later, October 1919, “The Springfield Student” resumed weekly publication. In this first issue, the editors wrote that they wanted to re-establish the newspaper “as the mouthpiece or spokesman of the student body.
Springfield College Yearbook, 2011
No full textThis is the Springfield College Massasoit yearbook for 2011. Before 1904 Springfield College did not have an official Yearbook, but had publications of various levels of expertise. These included printed "Class Books" and “Class Histories” for various years from 1894 to 1903. As far as we know there were no yearbook-like-documents produced before 1894. After 1904 the yearbook has been called the Massasoit, named after Lake Massasoit upon the shores of which the college sits. Most yearbooks contain information on graduating students, activities of the proceeding years, pictures of faculty and staff, athletic team pictures and information, club information, and pictures and text outlining class histories and the graduating seniors, and other information deemed appropriate by the editors. There were no yearbooks produced from 1918-1919 and 1944-1946.Physical Object; Text
Finding Aid: RG 132 Marsh Memorial Building Records
No full textThis collection documents the Marsh Memorial Building, originally built as the Springfield College Library building. Mostly the collection contains photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building. Many of the interior photographs of the building are from the time the building was used as the college library. In addition, there are many pictures of the stained glass windows that depict the early symbols of the school and the YMCA that are in what is now referred to as the Marsh Chapel room.
There are three scrapbooks as well as other folders that focus on the groundbreaking, construction and dedication of the new Library building. The scrapbooks contain letters of invite and support for the library building and the festivities surrounding the dedication as well as photographs of the construction and official documentation. In addition, there are pen and pencil sketches by Edward Lippincott Tilton, the architect of the building. These drawings appear to be signed by the architect. There is an original sketch of the building by Vernon Howe Bailey from c. 1950. The sketch was given to Springfield College by the New York Central Railroad which honored the college in its attractive series of dining car menus. The Bailey Sketch was shown on the front cover of the menu. Finally, there is a folder of correspondence and notes on the creation of the World War I memorial plaque, in memory of Springfield College student alum who died in World War I, and the American’s Creed, both donated by the class of 1920, that hangs in the main entry way of Marsh Memorial. Most of the correspondence is between the class of 1920 and Anodion Metal Company that creates the plaques.When The YMCA Training School separated from The School for Christian Workers in 1890, the need for a new library arose since the material from the former library went to The School for Christian Workers. For some time the school depended largely on the City Library, and in 1891 the new library collection began when 45 volumes from Frank H. Marshall, a graduate from the class of 1887, were donated. In 1892, the library was housed in a small room in the Winchester Park Building, which was located on upper State Street. In 1895 the library was temporarily placed in the school’s first gymnasium, which was located on the corner or Hickory and Alden Street. From there, in 1896, it was moved to the new dormitory, now the Administration Building, located at 287 Hickory Street, in which three rooms were set aside for the library. The collections grew until fifteen dormitory rooms on three floors were occupied. In 1904, the need for a fireproof building was announced. After discussing the topic and submitting plans to architects for several years, finally, on May 22, 1912, contracts were awarded to Oscawana Building Company of New York, which with furnishings would cost 40, 600 out of the $80,000 required for erection of the library and he died just before its completion. The new library was of Gothic design, with red brick with brownstone and terra cotta trimmings laid in red cement. It was approximately 72 feet front by 117 feet deep, and consisted of two stories as well as a basement. The first and main floor is reached from the front by a flight of granite steps leading to a vestibule trimmed n pink marble. The featured speaker at the dedication of Marsh Memorial was the 27th President of the United States, William Howard Taft.
When the new library building was complete in 1913, a room was set apart for the beginning of a Natural History Museum. The students of 1914-1915, alumni, and friends showed so much interest, that by the end of the first year about 500 lots, covering over 1,000 specimens had been cataloged. They were arranged in the groups Anthropology, Zoology, Geology, and Botany. The most valuable contribution was the gift of eleven Babylonian terra-cotta tablets written between 2800 and 2200 B. C., nearly 5,000 years ago.
Marsh Memorial served as the College’s library until the opening of Babson Library in 1971. After Babson Library was opened, Marsh Memorial was renovated for other uses. A chapel was developed in the large room in Marsh which already contained stained glass windows and acted as the Libraries main stacks and study room. Marsh is still used for religious purposes today, offering regular worship services for members of the college. These include a Catholic Mass, celebrated each Sunday at 4:00 p.m., a Praise and Worship service, held the second Sunday of each month at 8:00 p.m., and monthly Oneg Shabbat services. The Spiritual Life Center also sponsors regular interfaith services and seasonal holiday services. Other offices the building houses are the President’s office, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Department of Public Safety