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The Growing Years: Westminster College from Birth to Adolescence
Utah Historical Quarterly
Vol. 43, 1975, No. 4
The Growing Years: Westminster College from Birth to Adolescence
BY JOSEPH A. VINATIERI
WHEN MEMBERS OF THE Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 they naturally set up a society and culture that reflected the values and tenets of their religion. For fifteen years the Mormons developed their society relatively free from external influences. The head of the church was, in essence, the head of the territory. This domination filtered down through all aspects of the social structure, including education. But with the advent of mining finds at Bingham, Park City, and Alta and the driving of the Golden Spike in 1869, an influx of outsiders to Deseret began to penetrate this homogeneous culture. Dissatisfaction among the new settlers with the haphazard and Mormon-oriented educational system soon gave rise to the development of Protestant mission schools in Utah. The Episcopal church opened the first mission school in 1867. The Methodists began in 1870 and the Congregationalists in 1878. The Presbyterian church commenced its educational work in 1869, and to its establishment of the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute on April 12, 1875, Westminster College traces its early beginnings.
One month after the driving of the Golden Spike in May 1869, the Presbyterian church entered Utah Territory at the railroad town of Corinne in northern Utah. Dr. Sheldon Jackson, superintendent of Home Missions for Nebraska, Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, organized the first church services on June 13, 1869, and within one year the first Presbyterian mission school, Utah Presbyterian College, had also been founded there. Rev. Edward Bayliss, pastor of the church at Corinne was made president; Dr. Jackson accepted a position on the board of directors. Recognizing the need for a girls school, church representatives organized the Rocky Mountain Female Seminary a month later on September 4, 1870. Unfortunately, the great growth expected of the town of Corinne never materialized, and the Presbyterian church as well as the twin mission schools had to be abandoned. However, the experience at Corinne had served to set the stage for more concentrated effort with the next religious and educational endeavor at Salt Lake City.
In a hayloft above a livery stable Rev. Josiah Welch held the first Presbyterian services in Salt Lake City. As the first Presbyterian church grew, Welch realized the need for a school with a well conducted classical and English department that would serve as an important auxiliary to Christian church work. His school plan was readily accepted by the members of First Presbyterian Church, and a board of trustees was appointed with Welch serving as moderator of the board. Dr. John M. Coyner of Indianapolis, Indiana, was selected to be the first principal.
Professor Coyner, a devout Presbyterian, had been superintendent of schools in Rushville, Illinois, until retirement was forced upon him because of poor health. He had been financially secure, but when Black Friday starting the Panic of 1873 occurred, all his holdings were lost. At this time it was the practice of the federal government to commit the care of different Indian tribes to the prominent Christian denominations. Upon hearing of a teaching vacancy among the Nez Perce nation of northern Idaho, Dr. Coyner applied for and was accepted as principal of the Lapwai Indian School. Having been told by his doctor that the western climate was better for him physically, he set out for Idaho in early January 1874. Pausing in Salt Lake City for a four-day visit, he listened with interest as Reverend Welch described the need for a well-graded school of Christian character.
Although enjoying his missionary work at Lapwai and the rejuvenating effect of the western climate, Dr. Coyner found the separation from his family an emotional strain. John Monteith, Indian agent at Lapwai, then offered to pay Dr. Coyner's daughter Emma $1,000 as a teacher and Mrs. Coyner $600 as matron if they would come to Idaho. Coyner immediately wrote for his family to join him, but two weeks after their arrival an order from the War Department in Washington, D.C, abruptly halted the two new salaries. Remembering his stop in Salt Lake City, Dr. Coyner wrote to Reverend Welch and expressed interest in the proposed mission school. He received an invitation to bring his family to Salt Lake and open a school in the basement of the church building.
The Coyners left Lapwai on March 19 and arrived in Salt Lake on April 2, 1875. Finding the basement rooms bare, Dr. Coyner immediately hired a carpenter, and by Friday, April 9, forty-five newly painted desks were ready to use. The new school, officially named Salt Lake Collegiate Institute, formally opened its doors April 12, 1875.
Due to the wide range of ages among the twenty-seven pupils initially enrolled, the Coyners organized the school into four divisions. Mary Coyner taught the primary department, Emma Coyner took charge of the intermediate, and Professor Coyner instructed the academic and collegiate studies. The school calendar was divided into ten-week quarters. With a normal progression of studies, a student could reach the collegiate department after seven years. Tuition was based upon a student's particular grade level. Primary students paid six dollars a quarter, intermediate students eight dollars a quarter, academic students ten dollars, and collegiate students paid twelve dollars a quarter.
The objectives of Salt Lake Collegiate Institute were clearly delineated at the outset. The school was to lay a foundation for a permanent college, to establish itself as a graded school modeled after those in the East, to provide aid to anyone unable to secure an education by themselves, and to train teachers for Utah and the surrounding region. This was recognized as an audacious platform not only by those immediately involved but by disinterested observers as well. Coyner recalled the following exchange after being stopped by a stranger during his first days in Salt Lake City:
On the second day of school a problem arose regarding the enrollment of students unable to pay tuition. A Mormon woman brought her two small children to the school and inquired if the school would accept the two without tuition. They were enrolled and steps were taken to establish a permanent system of scholarships. Reverend Welch wrote to two eastern Sabbath schools for support of the children and announced that all worthy children regardless of religious preference would be accepted. Four additional students were enrolled the first year.
Although many of the students attending Collegiate Institute lived in Salt Lake City, a small percentage were from out-of-town. Because there were no on-campus facilities for these students, individual boarding students were housed in private homes. The cost of this service was five to seven dollars per week. Boarding students were expected to follow the same standards of personal conduct prescribed for the others. Alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and profane language were prohibited.
The first full year of Collegiate Institute began August 30, 1875. A new teacher, Jennie Dcnnison, took the place of Emma Coyner who vyas expecting to marry Reverend Welch. The school year ended June 8, 1876, with a total enrollment of 142 pupils."
The year 1877 was a memorable one for Collegiate Institute. In the two years of its existence it already had the beginning of a fine reputation for scholarship, discipline, and morality. With its steadily increasing enrollment necessitating new accommodations, Dr. Coyner proposed to the board of trustees that a parcel of land at the rear of the church be mortgaged for $1,000. An additional $1,000 to be raised by subscription would suffice to construct a wooden classroom building on the lot.
With the approval of the trustees, Coyner developed a comprehensive fund-raising plan. Six young ladies in his advanced class were asked to write letters to three thousand Presbyterian Sabbath school principals asking for donations. Within three weeks, percent of those petitioned replied with sums from one to twenty-five dollars. In addition, the Protestant population of Salt Lake was canvassed. By June 1, 1877, enough money had been accumulated to call for the bids. Finding all bids for construction too high, Dr. Coyner drew up the plans himself and hired a carpenter to complete the task. The finished product was a model schoolhouse consisting of four classrooms with a seating capacity of 175. The total cost of the structure and its furnishing was $3,750. The letter campaign had raised $1,300 and $1,100 had been contributed in Salt Lake City, leaving a balance of $1,350. On the day of dedication the indefatigable Coyner rode about Salt Lake City asking local businessmen for donations. That night he made an appeal in the name of Rev. Josiah Welch, and within fifteen minutes he had pledges totaling the needed sum. Thus, before the dedicatory prayer, the new school building was completely free of debt.
Nevertheless, like many private educational institutions, Collegiate Institute was doomed to financial difficulty from the outset. During 1877 Professor Coyner met with the Utah Presbytery in Ogden and appealed for thirty scholarships worth $1,800 and a regular method of securing funds for the school. The Presbytery approved a memorial asking the church General Assembly "to empower the Board of Home Missions to commission teachers and Bible readers of [he peculiar population of Utah (Mormons), New Mexico (Spanish), and Alaska (Indians)." This way the board would be acting in a manner similar to that of the Board of Foreign Missions in supplying teachers for Christian training. The Presbyterian General Assembly approved the memorial and organized the Women's Executive Committee to oversee this new field of endeavor. The committee immediately commissioned Mrs. Coyner and two other Collegiate Institute teachers and assumed full responsibility for their salaries, thereby partially relieving the financial burden of the school.
But as the school continued to grow, so did its financial burden. Scholarship money from eastern Sabbath schools was still a major source of income. When a dispute arose over who should rightfully receive the money, the Home Mission Board or the school, Dr. Coyner was invited to Saratoga, New York, to meet with the executive board of the General Assembly. There it was resolved that Coyner would receive a yearly salary of $600 and an annual mission fund of $1,500, and that all scholarship money received would go to the Board of Home Missions.
Meanwhile, the rapid growth of Collegiate Institute dictated the need for another expansion of facilities. In the summer of 1880 a onestory brick structure, consisting in part of a badly needed boarding facility, was erected on church property. The following year a second story was added to increase the boarding capacity and to furnish rooms for the newly added art and music departments.
The year 1883 brought a new period in the life of Collegiate Institute. Dr. Jesse Fonda Millspaugh was appointed principal of the high school department and began preparations to succeed Dr. Coyner as superintendent. Coyner took delight in the ability of his new high school principal, for he realized that his own wife's health was failing and that his time in Salt Lake City was short. In the spring of 1885 he was pleased to relinquish his post to his successor and leave for Los Angeles with Mrs. Coyner.
Perhaps Dr. Millspaugh's greatest contribution to Collegiate Institute was to inaugurate, in response to the requests for trained teachers, a "Normal Course." This new study program consisted of lectures and courses of reading on educational subjects, study of teaching methods and school management, and instructional experience. In 1890 Dr. Millspaugh resigned his position at Collegiate Institute to assume the superintendency of the new Salt Lake Schools. His selection as the new superintendent reflected admirably on the reputation of Collegiate Institute; not surprisingly he developed a graded system for the public schools patterned after that of the Institute.
Prof. Charles S. Richardson was appointed to the vacancy created by the resignation of Dr. Millspaugh, serving in that capacity for only one year. He was followed by Robert J. Caskey who had been principal of the high school department since 1887. The most important event in Caskey's thirteen-year role of superintendent was the dropping of all grades below that of high school. His thirteen years also marked the gradual decline of enrollment, due to the advancement of public education in Salt Lake City. Nevertheless, a new four-story brick building was added to the Institute in 1895.
Mr. Caskey resigned his position at Collegiate Institute in April 1904. He had been frustrated by the lack of cooperation afforded him by the Board of Home Missions and was at odds with the board over administrative procedure. At this time all requests for money had to go to the Home Mission headquarters in New York, and all expenses had to be paid out of the fund established there. Caskey and others in Utah felt increasingly alienated from proceedings that directly affected them.
Even though enrollment continued to decline after Caskey's resignation, the school did not relax its strict commitment to religious and educational propriety. Each day began with the "daily assembly," a religious service of approximately twenty minutes that included scripture lessons, hymns, and prayers. Classes then followed for the duration of the day. Once a month "oratoricals" — an oration or debate — were offered, but there were very few social activities. Dancing and cardplaying were strictly prohibited, as was smoking.
Though such an environment would surely be a thing of dread for today's student, it was not without value as a medium for learning. The Deseret News of 1905 commended Institute students for "an intellectual force and clearness unusual with students in preparatory school stage." This quality of education continued until 1910 at which time Salt Lake Collegiate Institute relinquished its identity to merge with another institution, known since 1902 as Westminster College.
II
From the early days at Corinne a college to crown the Presbyterian educational system of academies had been sought by Bayliss, Jackson, Duncan J. McMillan, and Robert McNiece. Dr. McNiece had come to Utah as the successor of Rev. Josiah Welch upon his departure in 1876. Through the early years of Collegiate Institute's history, Dr. McNiece served as Professor Coyner's assistant in addition to his duties as pastor of First Presbyterian Church. For many years the idea of a college had merely been a dream in his mind as well as in the minds of the other early Presbyterian educators, but on March 20, 1892, at a meeting of the Utah Presbytery at Springville, he formally presented a resolution calling for the establishment of a college. The resolution was adopted and a committee of nine appointed to pursue the establishment of a Presbyterian college. This committee, the board of trustees, elected Dr. McNiece as president of the board. In August the first gift of $1,000 for the new college was given by Col. Elliot F. Shepard of New York City.
Like Salt Lake Collegiate Institute, the new college suffered numerous financial hardships from the outset, particularly in the search for a suitable site of development. Two local speculators, Arthur J. Brown and a man named Middleton, proposed to donate land for the new college and sell lots adjoining it. The Board of Aid for Colleges was contacted and was impressed with the offer, but Dr. McNiece asked the board to personally investigate the offer before acceptance. The secretary of the board, Dr. Ray, was sent to Salt Lake and found the land to be near the Great Salt Lake, very close to what is today the old Saltair salt plant. It was obvious that Mr. Brown and Mr. Middleton were interested in the speculative and not in the educational interests of the college.
Another offer for a suitable college site came from the Ogden Chamber of Commerce which, although legitimate, had to be rejected because the resolution adopted by the Presbytery stipulated that the college must be located in Salt Lake City.
Dr. Sheldon Jackson had been vitally interested in the educational efforts of Presbyterians in Utah. In a letter to the Utah Presbytery in 1895, he offered the sum of $50,000 to create an endowment for the proposed college. His only stipulations were that the "Bible must be a regular textbook in the curriculum of studies, ... the College can never be alien-
ated from the work and doctrines of the Presbyterian Church, . . . and that the institution shall be named and always continue to be known as the 'Sheldon Jackson College.' " 20 He also promised to help pay the president of Sheldon Jackson $1,500 per year. At a board of trustees meeting January 20, 1896, the proposal was formally adopted.
When the Congregational church in Salt Lake City learned of the Presbyterian plan for a college, dispute ensued. The Congregationalists were planning a similar college and felt their plan should take precedence. A well-known Presbyterian benefactor, D. K. Pierson of Chicago, had offered the Congregationalists $50,000 for their college under the condition that they raise an additional $150,000. In a joint meeting at the New York City offices of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions, Dr. Duncan J. McMillan persuaded the rival church leaders that the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute had begun its work earlier and promised several advantages over the Congregational school, Gordon Academy. After a thorough review of the Presbyterian case, the Congregationalists yielded and withdrew their plan for a college.
With this difficulty resolved, Dr. Jackson turned his attention toward selecting the right president for the school. Seeking a person of stature and an educator of high reputation, he chose Gen. John Eaton, former U.S. commissioner of education and president of Marietta College. Eaton had previously visited Utah on three occasions and had been openly critical of the territorial school system.
Soon after General Eaton's acceptance, Dr. McNiece was appointed dean of the faculty in addition to his duties as instructor of Greek and Latin. Prof. George B. Sweazy, upon Eaton's recommendation, was hired to teach German, natural science, and mathematics. With this staff and an interchange of teachers from Collegiate Institute, Sheldon Jackson College officially commenced its work September 7, 1897, with a class of six in the Collegiate Institute buildings.
The first year course of study dealt extensively with the classics which later was altered to allow the study of a classical or Latin-scientific course. The Bible was a required course throughout the four-year program. Only two students, Theodore M. Keusself and E. J. Hanks, completed the program. Troubled by enrollment and financial problems, the college was temporarily discontinued.
The new president, along with Sheldon Jackson, worked primarily in the East soliciting funds from prominent people. Jackson was disappointed that his properties did not produce sufficient revenue to meet his obligation. The $50,000 he had pledged for the college as an endowment had to be withdrawn. The money had been pledged on the assumption that his Washington, D.C, estate was worth that amount at a minimum, but by final sale the estate had decreased in value. McNiece then requested of the board of trustees that Jackson be released from his obligation, and his request was approved by the Utah Presbytery.
Dr. McNiece realized that the young college had to have a site of its own. In 1896 the board of trustees had accepted a proposal by a mining trust to give Sheldon Jackson College fifty acres of the Crissman farm located four and one-half miles south of the city. Further offered by the mining trust's representatives Gill S. Peyton and CH, Airies were thirty acres known as Price place on which the college had to be located. Like Middleton and Brown before them, Peyton and Airies stipulated that $50,000 worth of buildings had to be erected. In this manner the surrounding property value would rise. With the loss of Jackson's donation and the nationally depressed financial situation, the terms could not be met. In 1901 Airies reneged on the stipulations of the agreement and the board absolved itself of any further obligation.
This turn of events emphasized the need for establishment of a committee to seek a new college campus. A committee of three consisting of Dr. McNiece, Dr. George Bailey, and Reverend McClain was appointed. After scouting the city for several days the appointees walked over the present location of Westminster College which was then called the New Grand View Addition. It was suggested that Col. William Ferry, a well to-do Park City mining investor, be asked to donate money to help purchase the tract of land. A meeting was arranged and Dr. McNiece pleaded the cause of the board of trustees.
Ferry then asked for "a few days" to think about the matter. Three days later he assented to the purchase contingent upon the following conditions : the new land was to be the site of the college, no financial encumbrances were to bear upon the land, the Bible was to be regularly used as a textbook, the teachings were to be in harmony with Presbyterian doctrine, within five years a building costing $25,000 was to be erected, and a portion of the new land was to be set aside for a women's college building.
On October 8, 1901, General Eaton was appointed president emeritus, and Dr. George Bailey, pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City, was elected the new president. His salary was $2,500 a year plus expenses. Like General Eaton before him, he spent most of his three-year tenure in Washington, D.C, working for the financial interests of the college. During Dr. Bailey's term as president, the name Sheldon Jackson College was changed to Westminster College. This was done to more accurately display the interdenominational role of the college.
The first building on the Westminster College campus was dedicated shortly after the resignation of Dr. Bailey. Mrs. Mary J. G. Temple of Washington, D.C, a devout Presbyterian, wdlled valuable properties to the Board of Home Missions with the stipulation that money derived thereof be used in the construction of a memorial chapel for her father, William Gunton. Hearing of the estate, Eaton, Jackson, and Thomas Gordon, financial agent for the college, actively pursued Mrs. Temple's settlement. In a friendly suit between the Home Mission Board and the board of trustees of Sheldon Jackson College, guidelines were established that gave Sheldon Jackson College the remainder of the Temple estate.
One provision of the court suit was that the chapel had to be built on college property. To accommodate that requirement two additional acres of land at Eleventh East and Seventeenth South were bought. The trustees w r ere not unanimous in their desire for a chapel. Dr. McNiece, especially, felt that of more importance than a chapel was the construction of the main college building, Eaton Hall. However, a majority of trustees favored the proposal, and on March 19, 1905, the Gunton Memorial Chapel was dedicated. The new chapel housed Third Presbyterian Church until the church officially merged with Wasatch Presbyterian in 1946 and moved to sanctuary at the corner of Seventeenth South and Seventeenth East.
After dedication of the first college building, many problems remained. In May 1899 Rev. Thomas Gordon of Washington, D.C, had been appointed financial agent of the college and charged with the responsibility of management and control of all college property in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jackson and General Eaton opposed giving one person such complete authority and their fears proved to be well founded. Without authorization of the board of trustees, Dr. Gordon proceeded to build eleven houses on the Jackson property. Dr. McNiece, journeying to Washington to aid General Eaton in the investigation of Dr. Gordon's activities, wrote Dr. George Martin, member of the board: ". . . many important things have been done without authority. It is not best for me to give opinions now. . . . The present method of management is altogether too expensive and unsafe and must be radically changed."
After thorough investigation, Dr. Gordon was found guilty of the misuse of valuable college funds, and his services with Sheldon Jackson College were terminated. General Eaton's son, Quincy Eaton, began acting as financial agent and did much to restore financial solvency.
Financial problems were not the only difficulties encountered by the college. The anticipated incorporation of Salt Lake Collegiate Institute into Sheldon Jackson College also posed a dilemma. In response to the need for additional funds the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church had formed the Women's Board of Home Missions, and in September 1896 that group had assumed complete control of Collegiate Institute from its offices in New York City. Ill will soon grew between the board and Robert Caskey, principal of the Institute, over financial commitments. In a letter from Dr. George McAfee, superintendent of school work, Presbyterian Board of Home Missions, to Mr. Caskey, McAfee pointed out that the Women's Board had been instrumental in helping Collegiate Institute stay out of financial trouble.
Additional friction arose in that Caskey often tried to circumvent the New York office in collection of funds. In reaction, the Board of Home Missions pointed out that more money was given to the educational endeavors in Utah than any other state.
Caskey also came into dispute with the Sheldon Jackson College staff. He complained that Institute classes were being duplicated by the college staff and that college students were setting a bad example for Institute pupils .by irregular attendance at chapel. In response, Dr. McNiece explained, "It is not the policy of the College to duplicate the work of the Institute. The cases of duplication . . . have been purely exceptional. ... In regard to Chapel exercises, if the liberty of the College students has in any way interfered with the good order of the Institute, I regret it."
Meanwhile, in March 1897 the college board of trustees had adopted a plan to secure Collegiate Institute as the preparatory department of Sheldon Jackson College. Two years later the Board of Home Missions modified the original plan and inserted three conditions for the transfer of Collegiate Institute: the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute "shall be made secure to the Presbyterian Church forever for the purposes of Christian education, the Trustees of Sheldon Jackson College shall. . . agree that on or before September 1, 1901, they will accept title . . . and assume complete control, and ... no appeals shall be made to the auxiliary societies of the Women's Board for funds in the name of Sheldon Jackson College." In an appeal for approval of the conditions as set down by the board, Jackson cited the fact that the college was losing donations by its inability to merge with the Institute. He also pointed out that the second condition, relating to the adoption of Collegiate Institute's financial status, could be achieved even though no available funds could be seen in the near future. "At the same time we cannot tell you where the support of the College itself is coming from," he explained to McNiece. "The Lord intends us to work by faith." Unfortunately, the second condition could not be met and the Collegiate Institute reverted to the control of the Home Missions Board.
Throughout this period in the history of Westminster College, the trustees tried to raise sufficient money to erect a $25,000 building in order to meet one of the conditions in the agreement with Colonel Ferry for his gift of property for the college site. Dr. Samuel Wishard, one of the original supporters of Collegiate Institute, was called upon to be chief fund-raiser in the East. Through a remarkable effort, he was able to secure a total of $27,450. The largest contribution, $20,000, was given by John Converse, president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. The building of Converse Hall was begun in March 1906.
The second building on campus was begun in July 1908. Due to certain terms, the newly completed Converse Hall had to lie vacant until suitable space was provided for out-of-town students attending the college. Again the Ferry family came to the aid of Westminster. Mrs. Ferry led the drive for funds and contributed $15,000 herself. By March 1908 the money necessary for the project had been received, but Ferry Hall remained unfinished until 1911 when a heating plant was established to heat both Ferry and Converse halls.
Although twenty-five years had passed since the founding of Collegiate Institute, the dominance of the Mormon church that had troubled John Coyner and Josiah Welch still distressed Robert McNiece and his associates. McNiece's strong religious and social beliefs are visible in a fund-raising pamphlet sent to prospective eastern supporters of Westminster:
This claim would be an absurd notion today. Yet, in the early years of the college, to Dr. McNiece and others, it w^as a stark reality. The conviction that Westminster College was the only Christian alternative to the Mormon-dominated format of the two state universities kept those intimately involved with the college hard at w^ork.
In 1910 the issue of a merger again surfaced, and the board of trustees once more proposed to accept Collegiate Institute as the preparatory department of Westminster College. The Women's Board of Home Missions, which was charged with the responsibility of maintaining the Institute, accepted the offer providing that all money received from the sale of the Institute's property would go to the educational programs of both schools. The Collegiate Institute buildings at Second South and Second East were then sold for $40,000 in April 1912. Of this sum, $30,000 was earmarked for the construction of a much needed boys' dormitory. While the dormitory was under construction, the girls stayed in Ferry Hall and the boys lived in Converse Hall.
During the fall of 1910, the new preparatory department officially fell under the auspices of Westminster College. However, a lack of both pupils and finances delayed the opening of the college itself until 1913 when Westminster College and its preparatory department together officially opened their doors.
III
Throughout the founding years of Westminster College three themes emerge: the mutual alienation of Mormons and Protestants in Utah, the perpetual financial difficulties of the infant institution, and the determined faith in God of its founders. Because of the size of Salt Lake City and its dominant Mormon culture, little in the way of local financial contributions could be counted upon. Consequently, most of the college's financial support came from Presbyterian churches and generous donors in the eastern portion of the United States. At times the situation became so desperate that the founders could only hope for the miraculous. Dr. John Coyner's reminiscence is symbolic of the faith shared by many during the college's first years:
Of all the men involved in the college enterprise — Coyner, McNiece, Jackson, McMillan, Wishard, McClain, and many others — all had one trait in common: determined faith in God. This faith led them through financial hardships, physical maladies, and even threats upon their lives. Today's Westminster College, preparing to enter its second century of educational service, is a fitting tribute to that faith.
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