Campus doubles size
at
Dedication ceremonies pay tribute to leadership
Delivering a stirring dedicatory address, Claude F. Gaddy spoke to multitudes of people
crowding into Chowan College’s football stadium for services of dedication for Daniel
Hall for the Fine Arts and the Whitaker Library. A Baptist layman who has served in
numerous leadership positions throughout the southeast for many years, Gaddy is a
member of the college’s board of advisors who serves as senior vice-president of Gaddy
Real Estate Company in Raleigh and whose many positions of leadership include service
as acting general secretary-treasurer for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
Impressive dedication ceremonies were held along with semi-annual sessions of the
college’s board of advisors and its board of trustees. Those joining Gaddy on the program
included H. Douglas White of Rocky Mount, chairman of trustees; Dr. Ben C. Fisher of
Raleigh, executive secretary for the Council on Christian Higher Education of the Bap
tist State Convention of North Carolina, who delivered the dedicatory prayer; Rev.
Oscoar Creech of Ahoskie, former acting president and director of development who is
the only “Honorary Life Trustee” ever elected by the college’s trustees; Mayor Ricard
T. Vann of Murfreesboro; and Irwin Belk of Charlotte, chairman of the college’s board
of'advisors, who presided.
Contributions of Daniel and Whitaker
families honored during ceremonies
The Chowan College Board of
Trustees set machinery in mo-
ion to double the size of the
school's campus during semi
annual sessios held recently,
authorizing the administration
to purchase 120 acres of land
near its campus.
The 120 acres, known as the
Bryant farm, adjoins the campus
to the south and will bring its
total size to 240 acres.
The board also approved a re
cord $2 million budget for the
1968-69 year at its semi-annual
joint meeting with the board of
advisors, and took part in the
dedication of two campus facil-
ities-Whitaker Library and
Daniel Hall for the Fine Arts.
The addition would provide ex
pansion room for the college
which has continuously in
creased enrollment since 1956.
The expansion would be the
largest single land acquisition
in the 121-year history of the
school, which began with a single
building and a small plot of
land.
Negotiations between the own
ers and the school administra
tion for the property have been
underway off and on for some
time.
The trustees did not release
a figure on how much was autho
orized for the purchase of the
Federal loan
for high-rise
Chowan College will receive a
$925,000 federal loan to finance
construction of a nine-story
dormitory which will be the tall
est building in the Roanoke-
Chowan region. First District
Rep. Walter B. Jones has an
nounced that the Department of
Housing and Urban Development
is making the funds available on
a long-term, low-interest rate
through its college housing pro
gram.
College officials report that
the high-rise structure, to be on
a plot near the school’s baseball
field, will house 288 male stud
ents.
Plans call for construction
to begin in 1969 and it is hoped
that the dormitory, which will
include recreation and lounge
areas, will be ready for occupan
cy in 1970.
In addition to the HUD loan,
the college will add $25,000 to
complete construction and fur
nish the facihty.
This dormitory is the next
step in the school’s 16ng-term
$10 million development pro
gram.
Most of the funds to meet the
college’s goal are expected to
come from gifts, but the college
expects to raise a quarter of
the total amount through grants
and loans, such as the one re
ceived for this high-rise dormi
tory.
A record enrollment of 1,326
students, registering for classes
August 28, has begun the 1968-
69 year at Chowan.
College officials reported that
growth in enrollment and fac
ilities during recent years has
shown a steady increase and,
although a record, this is only
slightly more than 1,292 students
registering last year and 1,234
two years ago.
Freshmen and transfer stud-
land. Chowan president Dr.
Bruce E. Whitaker said the act
ion was believed by the board of
trustees “to be in the best long-
range interest of the college ”
both for future expansion and
protection of the school’s pres
ent interest.
He said the action had been
under consideration for years
and that the trustees, “feeling it
was now in the college's best
interests, launched out in this
step to guarantee further care
fully planned, systematic devel
opment of Chowan. ■
The board approved the record
$2,060,000 budget recommended
last July by its executive com
mittee.
Salary increases for the
school’s faculty, the $850,000 for
the two new facilities dedicated
recently, and general escala
tion of academic costs on every
side are represented in the new
budget which was increased
from $19 million in 1967-68
Anticipated expenditures in
clude $702,150 for instructional
expenses; $234,350 for adminis
trative and general expenses;
$151,000 for plant maintenance;
$450,000 for auxiliary expenses;
$56,000 for special activities;
and $125,700 for scholarships and
grants.
is granted
dormitory
Permission to apply for the
federal loan was received from
the Baptist State Convention of
North Carolina at its meeting
in Asheville last November.
The process is similar to agree
ments used to finance other faci
lities at Chowan and the college’s
six sister Baptist schools in
North Carolina.
President Bruce E. Whitaker
said the new dormitory will
permit Chowan to increase its
enrollment by about 150 and move
students forced to live off cam
pus onto the school's confines.
“This is another step in our
continuing effort to meet the
higher education needs of our
area," he said, “It will upgrade
our facilities and provide better
quality education. '
Whitaker said the school has
done so well in the past “it has
created a gigantic problem for
itself, but its growth offers an
uprecedented challenge for the
future.’
He said the over all $10 million
development program is design
ed to “undergird this challenge. ’
In addition to the dormitory,
other development proposals in
clude special endowment, general
endowment, land-acquisition, an
auditorium-chapel, another re
sidence hall, a gymnasium field
house and renovation of facili
ties for administrative functions.
ents account for 844; sophomores
and returning students 449; nurs
ing students at Duke Hospital in
the final session of Chowan’s
33-month program of education
for nursing, 12; and there are
21 students in other classifica
tions.
New enrollment records have
been established by almost
every semester since 1957, ac
cording to statistics released by
the Registrar s Office.
Challenging other colleges to
join Chowan in creating “A
society not crushed by defeat
but filled with vibrant enthus
iasm, Claude F. Gaddy called
developments of the past de
cade at Chowan College “A
modern miracle, such as can
be seen nowhere else in the
world.”
He delivered the main ad
dress for Thursday afternoon
ceremonies dedicating the cam
pus recently-completed Daniel
Hall for the Fine Arts and the
Whitaker Library.
The college’s board of ad
visors member and former act
ing general secretary-treasurer
for the Baptist State Convention
of North Carolina credited the
“modern miracle ” to devotion
and dedicated service from
“leaders sucli as the late Pro
fessor Jeannette Snead Daniel,
President Bruce E. Whitaker
and their families.’
Ultra-modern Daniel Hall, con
taining space and the most up-
to-date equipment for music,
drama and the arts, was named
in memory of Professor Daniel-
wife of long-time state senator
Walter E. Daniel of Weldon. The
college’s music department has
for many years been known, in
tribute to the late Professor
Daniel, as the Daniel School of
Music.
The Whitaker Library was
named in tribute to the admin
istration since 1957 of Dr.
Whitaker as president of Chowan
College. He led the college from
an enrollment of 235 students
and less than $1 million in total
assets to its present plant eval
uation of $6 million, with 10
modern campus structures being
added during the past decade.
This three-story hbrary, to
shelve 100,000 volumes, contains
seats in several reading areas
for more than 400 students and
faculty. It also contains an Ant
iquities Room for articles of
historical interest to the college
and region.
Unique programs of Christian
higher education, as well as
these which have stood the test
of time, were credited by the
senior vice-president of Ral
eigh s Gaddy Real Estate Co., to
“President Whitaker, who has
given-and is giving-his life to
Chowan college.’’
Irwin Belk of Charlotte, pre
sident of Belk Stores and former
state senator who is chairman
of the college’s board of advisors,
presided and commended Dr.
Whitaker for serving longer
than any other 20th century
Chowan president “indeed play
ing the leading role in the life
of this great institution as he
worked for the welfare of its
students. ”
Introducing the featured
speaker was H. Douglas White
of Rocky Mount, chairman of the
college s tructees, who had the
Daniel and Whitaker families
“stand for a moment, so that
you may be accorded proper
recognition ” by a capacity
crowd in the college’s football
stadium.
Naming of fine arts facilities
was made possible by Dr. Donald
Snead Daniel of Richmond, a
member of the college’s board of
advisors who has contributed
financial support to Chowan, on
behalf of himself and other
children of Professor and Sen
ator Daniel.
Other children are Mrs. Jean
nette Daniel Dunn, Scotland
Neck; Louis Poteat Broaddus
Daniel, New Bern; Mrs. Nar
cissa Daniel Hargroves, Phil
adelphia, Pa.; Dr. W. E. Daniel,
Jr., Charlotte; John Wallace
Daniel, Raleigh.
President Whitaker is the son
of Mrs. F. A. Whitaker of Cleve
land County, and the late Mr.
Whitaker. His wife is the former
Esther Adams of Conover, now
a professor of Religion and
English at Chowan, and they
have two sons; 15 year-old Barry
Eugene and nine-year-old Garry
Bruce.
Other program personalities
included Dr. Ben C. Fisher of
Raleigh, executive secretary for
the Council on Christian Higher
Education of the Baptist State
Convention of North Carolina;
and Rev. Oscar Creech of
Ahoskie, former acting president
and director of development who
is the only “Honorary Life Trust
ee ever elected by the trustees.
Student Government Associa
tion President Emmitt F. Totty
of Chesapeake, Va., received
the afternoon’s longest and most
rousing applause when he thanked
the Daniel and Whitaker families
for making possible the type
education given Chowan’s stud
ents, “teaching us not only how
to make a living, but how to
hve. "
Another record enrollment
begins classes at Chowan
For October, 1968
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