Why We Rock
Stories From Our First 231 Years
York Collegiate Institute Baseball Team, ca.1902
The York County Academy: 1787-1948 Before the Academy: John Adams’ visit to Yorktown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The York Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Rev. John Andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Col. Thomas Hartley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 James Smith and George W. Ruby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 The Normal and Classical Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Philip Albright Small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 George Washington Gross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 David Gardner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Voices of the Students: A Tale of Two Daniels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 The Junior Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
The York Collegiate Institute: 1871-1948 The Founders of the York Collegiate Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Rev. James McDougall, First Headmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 The First York Collegiate Institute Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Out of the Ashes: The Second YCI Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Dr. Eliakim Tupper Jeffers, Second Headmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Dr. Charles Hatch Ehrenfeld, Third Headmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 1918: Stained Glass and “The Chronicle” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 How the Board of Trustees Saved a Piece of Pennsylvania History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 The Merger of the York County Academy & the York Collegiate Institute: 1929 . . . . . . . . . . .24 Voices of the Students: Catharine “Kitty” Small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Where’s Anna? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Cliff Heathcote: From Baskets to Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 YCI Students & Alumni Illuminate the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
York Junior College: 1941-1968 1941 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Dr. Lester Johnson, First President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Dr. Robert G. Dawes, Second President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Dr. Marvin Buechel, Third President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Dr. Ray A. Miller, Fourth President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 From The Tower to Horizon: The New Campus, 1961 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 When There Was Plenty of Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 New Campus Dedication, 1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 There’s Still a Course (or Two) On These Old “Links” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Voices of the Students: Students in 1952: Cool Cats, the Cold War, and Round TVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 The Bob Riese Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
York College of Pennsylvania: 1968-Present Dr. Ray A. Miller, First President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Dr. Robert V. Iosue, Second President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Dr. George W. Waldner, Third President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith, Fourth President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 YCP History: Brick by Brick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Voices of the Students: Repealing the Dress Code: How “Far Out” Students Fashioned a New College . . . . . . . . . .47 Why We Splash Through Tyler Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Before He Sent Greetings from Asbury Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Undefeated Since 1787: Fact & Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 These Guys Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
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This rare photograph depicts the 1870 student body and teachers of the York County Academy outside of the rear of the building on North Beaver Street. We know little about who appears in the photograph, other than two names written on the border: “Julia Small and Anna Weiser.� This is the oldest image in our digital archives. View this and other historic images at library.ycp.edu/archives Photo Gallery.
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The need for an English classical school which taught a core curriculum of reading, writing, arithmetic, and Latin in York is evident from John Adams’ words to his wife, Abigail, in this letter dated October 28, 1777.
York Town “My dearest Friend We have been three days, soaking and poaching in the heavyest Rain, that has been known for several Years, and what adds to the Gloom is the Uncertainty in which We remain to this Moment, concerning the Fate of Gates and Burgoigne. – We are out of Patience. It is impossible to bear this suspence, with any Temper. I am in comfortable Lodgings, which is a Felicity that has fallen to the Lott of a very few of our Members. Yet the House where I am is so thronged, that I cannot enjoy such Accommodations as I wish. I cannot have a Room as I used, and therefore cannot find Opportunities to write as I once did.”
“The People of this Country, are chiefly Germans, who have Schools in their own Language, as well as Prayers, Psalms and Sermons, so that Multitudes are born, grow up and die here, without ever learning the English. – In Politicks they are a Breed of Mongrels or Neutrals, and benumbed with a general Torpor.”
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The York County Academy
Before the York County Academy
The York County Academy
The York Academy
1767-1772: The Rev. John C. Andrews begins teaching in York and, after raising money to build the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist on North Beaver Street, holds classes in its rectory.
1785: Rev. John Campbell, now rector, purchases land across the street from the Church on which to build a school. He borrows money to fund its construction.
Pennsylvania Gazette Sept. 28, 1785
1787: The York Academy opens. 1799: Through a second act of the Legislature, the Academy is granted public-school status and thus is no longer incorporated with St. John’s Episcopal Church. It becomes the “York County Academy,” with its administration in the hands of a Board of Trustees.
The first twenty-one trustees were: James Smith (President), Rev. John Campbell, Jacob Goering, Robert Cathcart, Daniel Wagner, (Col.) Thomas Hartley, (Capt.) John Edie, (Maj.) John Clark, Jacob Hay, Jacob Barnitz, Conrad Laub, Jacob Rudisill, Elihu Underwood, William Ross, (Col.) Michael Smyser, William Paxton, (Capt.) Phillip Gossler, William McClellan, (Col.) William Scott, John Black, and George Bard. 4
Educated at the College and Academy of Philadelphia (the forerunner of the University of Pennsylvania), John Andrews was ordained as an Anglican minister in 1767. Coming to York as a missionary in 1769, he served at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Beaver Street from 1771 to 1773. To supplement his meager and at times, nonexistent salary, Rev. Andrews started a small classical school to teach English, Latin, and Greek to the mainly Germanspeaking community in York. This would become known as “York Academy” and later, “The York County Academy.” After tirelessly raising funds and advocating for the Academy from 1776 until 1782 when he left to serve as rector of St. Thomas in Baltimore, the school had 137 students on the roster and a dedicated Board of Trustees. Image courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania Art Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
YCP’s Dr. Van R. Baker wrote a biography of the Academy’s founder titled, The Sterling Honesty of John Andrews in 1976 after his exhaustive research determined that the Rev. Andrews started the school in St. John’s in 1787.
On Founder’s Day, October 15, 1977, York College of Pennsylvania dedicated a bronze sculpture of Rev. Andrews, designed by Zoel Burickson, pictured here (left) with college president Dr. Robert V. Iosue. Originally placed on the front of lawn of campus, it is now in the courtyard between Campbell and Wolf Halls.
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The York County Academy
Rev. John Andrews Founder of the York Academy
The York County Academy
Col. Thomas Hartley First President of the Board Col. Thomas Hartley was born in Berks County in 1748. Coming to York to study law, Hartley passed the bar in 1769 and began his practice with James Smith, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and president of the board of York County Academy. During the Revolutionary War, Hartley served as the colonel of the Eleventh Pennsylvania, commanded the 1st Brigade at Brandywine, Germantown and Paoli and is credited with having carried out the attack to avenge the Wyoming Massacre in 1778. Col. Hartley served on the Board of Trustees of the York Academy as President from 1787 to 1799 and as Trustee for the York County Academy from 1799 to 1800. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Convention, which ratified the Constitution in 1787. Hartley served in the Congress from 1789 to 1800.
Col. Thomas Hartley 1748-1800
Hartley was a close friend of George Washington. When the General visited York, he often stayed with Hartley at his Market Street mansion.
This drawing by Lewis Miller depicts Hartley’s home. It was located on West Market Street between Beaver Street & George Street.
From the Collection of the York County History Center, York, PA
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James Smith was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776 and elected to Congress in 1785. A Brigadier General of the Revolutionary War and signer of the Declaration of Independence, he became the first President of the Board of Trustees of York County Academy in 1800. After resigning as president, he continued as a trustee until his death in 1806. James Smith is buried in the graveyard at First Presbyterian Church of York.
James Smith 1719-1806
George Washington Ruby, Ph.D. Principal from 1850-1880, Dr. Ruby served approximately 2,000 students during his career at the York County Academy. One of his major accomplishments was “York County Normal,” a vocational curriculum filling the rising need for elementary school instructors. The implementation of the Public School System in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1836 created a demand for teachers. In response, the Academy introduced what was known then as a “Normal” School to train future educators. Classes were held on the second floor from 1858 until 1921, when certification for teachers became required by the state.
George Washington Ruby 1824-1880
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The York County Academy
James Smith - First Board President
The York County Academy
The Normal School and the Classical School for Young Ladies (1856)
April 12, 1832 newspaper advertisement
Article written by Joseph B. Hicks, March 6, 1977.
“York County Normal,” a curriculum designed specifically to train teachers, began about 20 years after the general education system was instituted. The school thrived until the early 1900s when Pennsylvania State Teacher Colleges began to open across the Commonwealth. The Normal School of York County Academy closed in 1921. A school for young ladies opened within the Academy to train girls in Latin, Mathematics, and Vocal Music. Tuition cost $25.00 and included board and laundry. For an extra fee, students could be instructed in French and German. As the advertisement boasts, girls would learn about “healthfulness, society, economy, and morals.” The school closed in 1871 after the headmaster stated that teaching both boys and girls in the same building caused him “annoyance, care, and trouble.”
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Philip Albright Small was born in York in 1797. He attended the York County Academy before moving to Baltimore at the age of 17 to learn the retail business at Schultz, Konig, & Company. He returned to York in 1817 to work at his father’s shop. By 1831, he’d become a senior partner in the firm, which was renamed “P.A. & S. Small,” for him and his brother Samuel, who would establish York Collegiate Institute in 1871. Philip served as a Trustee of York County Academy from 1830 to 1874 and as President of the Board 1874 to 1875. In 1839, he built a magnificent Greek Revival house at 59 E. Market Street. Today, it is the home of York College of Pennsylvania’s Center for Community Engagement. Philip Albright Small 1797-1875
(Above) Philip Albright Small: inspecting wheat at his mill. Detail of a journal drawing by Lewis Miller (Left) From Lewis Miller journal: “Philip and I went one day down to the mill and over to his son’s farm in 1850 a[n]d it was a fine day to go.” York College’s Center for Community Engagement now occupies the 1839 home of Philip Albright Small and was a gift from the late Louis Appell.
Miller drawings are from the collection of the York County History Center, York, PA.
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The York County Academy
Philip Albright Small Student, Trustee, Entrepreneur
The York County Academy
George Washington Gross A student under G.W. Ruby, George W. Gross graduated from Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg in 1877 and went on to study law under Henry Fisher. He was admitted to the York County Bar in 1879 and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science in 1880. Dr. Gross served as Principal of the York County Academy for two non-consecutive terms: 1880-1885 and 1893-1898. During his service, enrollment increased and the antiquated heating system in the aging Academy was upgraded to a modern steam system. In 1927 he retired from his teaching position at the Academy, but continued to serve as President of the Board of Trustees until his death in 1935. Dr. Gross’ affiliation with the Academy – as pupil, teacher, headmaster, principal, and board member – spanned 60 years.
George W. Gross 1856-1935
Dr. Gross with his pupils on the grounds of the Academy, ca. 1885
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David H. Gardner graduated from Gettysburg College and began his teaching career in 1864. He was principal of Wrightsville Schools before becoming Headmaster of York County Academy in 1887, a position he held until 1893. David Gardner left to serve as the County Superintendent for four consecutive terms before returning to the Academy in 1906. He was reinstated as principal, a position he held until his retirement in 1923.
David H. Gardner, 1847–1924
From the 1915 yearbook, “Memoirs”
The class of 1921
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The York County Academy
David H. Gardner
The York County Academy
Voices of the Students: There are some illustrious names on the list of professors of the York County Academy, including Samuel Bacon and Thaddeus Stevens who taught there from 1812-1814 and 1815-1816, respectively. Two of the less recognizable names are Daniel Kirkwood and Daniel Ettinger. The first Daniel (Kirkwood) was a student at the academy in 1834 where he excelled at mathematics under the leadership of Rev. Stephen Boyer. After completing his studies at YCA in 1837, Kirkwood was hired by Rev. Boyer as a teacher in that discipline, a position he held until 1843. He would go on to spend the next four decades as an educator and administrator at several schools, including Indiana University Bloomington (a street and the observatory there are named in his honor). Though he devoted his life to teaching mathematics, Prof. Kirkwood’s real interest was in astronomy. It was his theories about planetary rotation that earned him the name, “The American Keplar,” after the 16th century German astronomer and mathematician, Johannes Keplar. Kirkwood wrote over one hundred articles during his lifetime but is most widely known for his discovery of the lack of asteroids in one section of the belt, referred to now as the “Kirkwood Gaps.”
Photo above courtesy of the York County History Center.
Thus, the first Daniel—student and teacher at the York County Academy —made significant contributions to the field of astronomy.
In 1842, the first volume of Cambridge Miscellany of Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy is published. Within the publication, both Kirkwood & Ettinger are mentioned for their contributions to Junior Mathematics.
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The second Daniel was also a mathematician and was also a student and a teacher at York County Academy. One of the most intriguing artifacts in our archives is a journal of his filled with “recreational mathematics,” which includes stunning calligraphy, musical scores, and sketches. What is remarkable about Daniel Ettinger is that he went on to serve on the board of the first Teacher’s Association of York County (1835) where he advocated for the adoption of standard, higher mathematics text books for the newlyformed public school system (The Common School Act of 1834). During the Civil War, he served as the York County Superintendent of Schools and is rumored to have been instrumental in the formation of the Underground Railroad. He was a surveyor and civil engineer, and designed the railroad system for Germantown, Pennsylvania. On September 18, 1887, he was asked to deliver a speech at the centennial celebration of the academy. YCP’s archives has the original handwritten draft of this. The “Daniels” – Kirkwood and Ettinger – were men who benefited from their years at the York County Academy in the early to mid-19th century and went on to have a profound effect on the fields of astronomy and public education.
Daniel Ettinger’s “recreational” mathematics journal, 1824 (above). This book includes stunning calligraphy, musical scores, and sketches.
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The York County Academy
A Tale of Two Daniels
The York County Academy
Voices of the Students: The Junior Volunteers
In 1812, a young Harvard graduate named Samuel Bacon assumed a teaching position at the York County Academy. He was keenly aware of the “new” war with the British, who were in violation of the maritime rights of the United States. So, in addition to his course load in the Classics, Bacon organized a group of students to participate in military drills, instilling in the boys “soldier-like honor and citizen-like integrity.” In 1814, Bacon left the Academy to join the Marine Corps. As a gift of appreciation, the Junior Volunteers sent him a military sash while he was stationed in Washington,
D.C. In the beautifully written letter (below) that was enclosed, the students wrote, “Pray, sir, accept this trifle, the best we can offer, and, if the prayers of your boys can aught avail, it will accompany you safe through the hours of peril.” It is evident from their writing, that these young men were a gracious and educated group. The original document is housed in YCP’s archives, preserving the voices of these Junior Volunteers. And one of that elite group was Samuel Small (see pg. 15), who would go on to establish the York Collegiate Institute.
Mr. Bacon, Sir, Your company of “Junior Volunteers” beg leave to present you with a military sash. We wish you to accept this as a tribute of our affection, and as a memorial of us, who will never forget your unwearied exertions for our good. We will ever remember with gratitude your patience in forming us to military subordination, and in communicating to us ideas of Soldier-like honor, and citizen-like integrity. Though you have left us to serve your and our country, where your benevolence may have a wider range, we hope your usefulness may never be less, or less known and valued than it has been at York. Pray, sir, accept this trifle, the best we can offer, and, if the prayers of your boys can aught avail, it will accompany you safe through the hours of peril. When you have served your country, may “the God of armies” as well as of consolation return you again to us. We are, sir, most affectionately yours the standing committee of the “junior volunteers.” John Armstrong, David Cassat Junior, William Armstrong, Samuel Small*, Geo. S. Morris, Henry Miller, George P. Kurtz, Walter Spangler *Note: After his military career, Bacon went on to be a lawyer (1815) and an ordained Episcopal minister (1817). In 1822, President James Monroe enlisted him to assist the people of the new country, Liberia.
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The Founders of York Collegiate Institute
The York Collegiate Institute
Samuel Small (1799-1885), a graduate of York County Academy, became one of the town’s leading citizens. He, along with his business partner Chas. Morris, opened the Children’s Home of York and helped to establish the York Hospital and Dispensary. In 1871, wanting to offer education with both an intellectual and moral culture in York, Samuel Small purchased a large tract of land on Duke Street for a school. The York Collegiate Institute opened its doors on September 15, 1873 with a generous endowment from its founder.
Isabel Cassat Small (1807-1890), wife of Samuel Small, was heavily involved with the Ladies’ Aid Society during the Civil War and served on the board of the Children’s Home of York. When her husband established the York Collegiate Institute in 1871, Isabel bestowed upon the school a substantial contribution to help ensure its success. The school’s “Cassat Library” was named in her honor.
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The York Collegiate Institute
Rev. James McDougall
Announcement of the Grand Opening of York Collegiate Institute, 1873 F. Roe “Atlas of York,” 1903
Founder Samuel Small was a strict Presbyterian who believed that the new science of Charles Darwin contradicted the Bible and thus, undermined the word of God. First headmaster and president of the York Collegiate Institute, Rev. James McDougall shared this belief. In his remarks during the opening ceremonies of YCI, he states “highly as we esteem science, we object to the deification of science.” He also stresses that “. . . we believe that great evil has resulted from ignoring or denying the distinction between the mental constitution of the woman and of the man from attempting to educate young women as if they were young men.” Rev. McDougall served as president from 1873 until his death in 1893. By 1941, YCI had evolved into York’s first and only community liberal arts college, open to all.
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Rev. James McDougall
First York Collegiate Institute Building:
Dedicated November 3, 1873 College Avenue & Duke Street
The York Collegiate Institute
This early photograph of the school was taken in 1873. The Italianate architecture of the fourstory building is evident from its sloping roof and overhanging eaves. There was an observatory in the cupola and a gymnasium on the top floor. The first Headmaster, Rev. James McDougall can be seen in the doorway. In February of 1885, the building was destroyed by a fire caused by a boiler malfunction. The two photographs below show the ruins of the 12-year old school. Classes were held in the York Hospital and Dispensary Building on West College Avenue until YCI was rebuilt in 1886.
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The York Collegiate Institute
Out of the Ashes:
After fire destroyed the original structure in 1885, classes were temporarily held at York Hospital and Dispensary Building on West College Avenue. In February 1886, George, Samuel and W. Latimer Small the nephews of the founder, wrote to the Board of Trustees, pledging $70,000 to rebuild. Renown architects John A. and Reinhardt Dempwolf were hired to design the Romanesque building, which was featured in the July 30, 1887 issue of American
Architect and Building News. It was constructed of red brick with brownstone trimming and featured a four-story tower* rising up from the arch-covered entrance. The interior was adorned with granite. Stained-glass windows designed by John Rudy were added in the early twentieth century. Before it was razed in 1962, the stained glass was removed and put into storage. Many of the 30 windows are now installed in York College’s Schmidt Library, the Founders Room, and Brougher Chapel.
*This feature inspired the name of the York Junior College yearbook, “The Tower” from 1943 to 1961.
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The Second York Collegiate Institute Building
The York Collegiate Institute
Feb. 1, 1886 letter pledging to fund the rebuilding of YCI Above and below, the interior of YCI.
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Dr. Eliakim Tupper Jeffers
The York Collegiate Institute
Dr. E. T. Jeffers graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg, PA in 1862 and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1865. After serving as pastor of the United Presbyterian Church in Oxford, PA and First Presbyterian Church in Oil City, PA, teaching theology at Lincoln University, and performing the duties of president at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Dr. Jeffers was inaugurated as York Collegiate Institute’s second president on May 1, 1893.
Portrait of Dr. E. T. Jeffers taken by Anna Elizabeth Taylor, 1915, ref. pg. 26.
Dr. Jeffers re-invigorated athletic programs, adding track and relay teams and expanding YCI’s presence in intervarsity basketball. He taught religion, psychology, and Latin and sponsored the Phi Sigma Literary Society, a club open to male students and faculty. During Dr. Jeffers’ presidency, the Institute expanded its instruction to include grades 1 through 10, increasing the number of graduates by twenty-five percent.
Phi Sigma Literary Society, 1903
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Dr. Charles Hatch Ehrenfeld Dr. Charles Hatch Ehrenfeld was the Head of the Scientific Department of York Collegiate Institute for 29 years before being appointed President in 1916. He was the first layman to serve in this capacity.
The York Collegiate Institute
During his 18-year tenure, YCI adopted an official seal, started an organized Alumni Association, advocated for a new student newspaper The Chronicle, and began the tradition of adding student- and alumnifunded commemorative stained-glass windows to the school’s interior (images of The Chronicle and stained glass can be seen on the following page). Dr. Ehrenfeld continued Dr. Jeffers’ support for intervarsity sports and the student groups, Phi Sigma and Ariel Literary Societies. In 1926, he recommended to the Board that YCI evolve into a junior college so that it could remain relevant and could better serve the community. After his retirement in 1928, Dr. Ehrenfeld co-authored a book with R.E. Gibbs titled Water for IceMaking and Refrigeration (1931), which is still in print.
Dr. Charles Hatch Ehrenfeld
The official school seal designed by John Rudy, 1918
1917-18 Basketball Team & Dr. Ehrenfeld’s season ticket.
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The York Collegiate Institute
1918:Stained Glass and“The Chronicle�
The first edition of the newspaper The Chronicle, October 1919: the masthead design includes the school seal.
The School Seal incorporated into the design of the earliest stained glass windows, now one of three which grace the altar at Brougher Chapel.
April 1918 letter to students and alumni suggesting the funding of stained glass windows.
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How the Board of Trustees Saved a Piece of Pennsylvania History
The York Collegiate Institute
The oldest known seal for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, created by John Fisher in 1796. It was presented to YCI on Founders Day 1921, its 50th anniverary by Dr. Ehrenfeld who had contributed to its $80 purchase price.
John Fisher (1736-1808) was York’s clockmaker, crafting fine time keepers – from their intricate mechanicals to handsome cases. He was also an artisan of musical instruments and a master fiddler. In 1796, Fisher was commissioned by York’s leaders to create an image of the Commonwealth’s Coat of Arms for use in the courthouse. He was paid £25 ($108 then; $1,888 now).
Francis Farquhar, J. A. Dempwolf, and Reinhardt Dempwolf–and headmaster Dr. Charles Ehrenfeld purchased John Fisher’s painting from Mr. Stuck for $80 and later that year, presented it to York Collegiate Institute as part of that school’s semicentennial celebration. Twenty years later, York Collegiate Institute became York Junior College and, in 1968, became York College of Pennsylvania.
It hung in the first courthouse for fifty years. When the second courthouse was built in 1841, the 36”x38” painting on wood was put into storage. Discovered in 1888, it was given to Edward Stuck, a local newspaper proprietor, by the York County Commissioners.
This important historical work now hangs in York College’s Schmidt Library Archives and Special Collections Room. Over the years, it has been loaned to Independence Hall, Wintertur Museum, and the York County Heritage Trust. John Fisher’s stunning depiction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Coat of Arms is a part of the state’s earliest history and representative of York’s place in our country’s formative years.
On February 28, 1921, Board of Trustee members – Samuel Small, George Schmidt,
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The York County Academy & York Collegiate Institute Merge: 1929
The York Collegiate Institute
Across town from the Academy, the York Collegiate Institute opened in 1873; it offered a Christian-based curriculum, an alternative to that being taught in the public, co-ed schools. By the early 20th century, however, YCI was also trying to cope with low enrollment. At the end of the term in the spring of 1929, the Trustees of the Academy decided to close down the school and not reopen in the fall. YCA President, Dr. George Washington Gross, contacted the Board of York Collegiate Institute to propose the schools enter into a “Reciprocal Teaching Agreement:” i.e., the Academy and the Institute would maintain separate Boards and identities, but classes for both would be held in the Duke Street building. The offer was accepted. The “Reciprocal Teaching Agreement” was a solution to the difficulties of a smaller enrollment pool and the changing role of private schools in York. The arrangement proved to be successful and eventually led to the next identities of YCA and YCI: York Junior College. The York County Academy had been instructing students for more than 50 years by the time the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established the free public school system in 1834. It served as a high school, a normal (teacher’s) school, a classical, and college preparatory school in the 19th century. However, the competition from the establishment of York High in 1870 and the passing of the compulsory attendance law in 1895 greatly reduced the number of students whose families were willing to pay tuition for a private school; there was little revenue and its 1787 building on North Beaver Street was deteriorating.
The secondary schools were discontinued to allow York Junior College to expand in 1948. A newspaper article from that year celebrates the last class of YCI, and refers to the arrangement between the two schools as an “association” honoring alumni of both York County Academy and York Collegiate Institute jointly.
License plate topper ca. 1930 From a student notebook 1930
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Voices of the Students: Catharine Small Catharine “Kitty’ Small was a student at York Collegiate Institute from 1896 until 1901. Recollections of growing up in York at the turn of the twentieth century and her days at YCI are recounted in her autobiography, My Town and I: 1884-1960.
The York Collegiate Institute
She writes that the boys and girls were kept separate – each had a designated stairway – other than during classes. Soirees were held, but there was no dancing permitted; boys and girls “promenaded two by two around the rooms to music.” Kitty describes the soirees “as wonderful lessons in the art of conversation” and because there was no dancing, one’s popularity depended “not on nimble feet, but nimble wits.”
In the 1901 yearbook, “Blue and Grey,” Kitty is compared to Jennie[sic] Lind, a singer famous in the late 19th century and the artist C.D. Gibson, whose sketches captured the fashionable look of the Victorian period.
Alpha Alpha Literary Organization, 1901: Kitty is first on the left, top row.
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The York Collegiate Institute
Voices of the Students:Where's Anna? Anna Elizabeth Taylor attended York Collegiate Institute from 1907 to 1912. During that time, she was a member of the student organization Sigma Delta Literary Society and her club name was “Minnehaha,” a character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Her senior recitation delivered on March 29, 1912, was titled Psychology of Dogs. She went on to study at the Southern School of Photography in McMinnville, Tennessee where she impressed the teachers there enough to be hired as an instructor. Four years after she graduated and four years before women won the right to vote, Anna Elizabeth Taylor opened her own
photography studio in downtown York. She returned to YCI that year to take a professional portrait of Dr. Eliakim Tupper Jeffers, headmaster of the school since 1893 (see page 20). We know a lot about Anna, but not which of the charming young ladies in the 1912 club picture of the Sigma Delta Literary Society she is; or where she is in the 1911-1912 York Collegiate Institute class photograph. We’ve compared her image from the Southern School of Photography class photo (she’s the only woman) to others from our collections that include her. Where’s Anna? Trying to find Anna is an ongoing quest in York College’s archives. If you think you’ve found her, contact archives@ycp.edu.
York Collegiate Institute, Class of 1911-12. View this and other historic images at library.ycp.edu/archives Photo Gallery.
Anna Elizabeth Taylor at the Southern School of Photography in McMinnville, Tennessee, c. 1915.
1912 Sigma Delta Literary Society of York Collegiate Institute.
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Voices of the Students: Cliff Heathcote: From Baskets to Bases fact that he had severely sprained his ankle. With Heathcote not playing at his best, YCI fell to York High. While basketball was Heathcote’s sport of choice at YCI, he also participated on the track & field team, was a member of Phi Sigma Literary Society, and presented an oration called The Aim of Life during graduation exercises.
Born in 1898, he attended Glen Rock High School before transferring to YCI in 1915. Heathcote was an immediate and dominant force on the court, scoring 641 points (58% of YCI’s points) for the Orange & White over his two years with the team. As the leading forward and Captain during both seasons, Heathcote was widely regarded as the best player in the county. With all of these accolades however, pressure would begin to build on the 18-year old Heathcote’s shoulders. Seen as the only way to a successful season, YCI and the community, encouraged Heathcote to play despite the
After graduating from YCI in 1917, Heathcote enrolled at Pennsylvania State University. Shortly afterward, he decided to attend a St. Louis Cardinals training camp; he was signed and his pro career began. Heathcote would spend 15 years as a Major Leaguer, having a career .275 average over 1,415 games. An additional career note is that Heathcote was one of the first players to suit up for two teams on the same day: He was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Memorial Day 1922 during a double header. - Kyle Murry, ’20 and Karen Rice-Young, ’92
Clifton “Lefty” Heathcote’s 1933 Goudy Baseball Card as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. This card can be found in the York College Archives.
The 1915 – 1916 York Collegiate Institute’s Orange & White Basketball Team. Cliff Heathcote is pictured second from the left. This photo can be found in the York College Archives.
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The York Collegiate Institute
In 1918, the St. Louis Cardinals prepared for their June 14 face-off against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. In this historic 13-inning game, Cliff Heathcote, a Glen Rock native and YCI sports legend made his Major League Baseball debut. But it was in hoops that Heathcote gained notoriety in York County—not baseball.
The York Collegiate Institute
Voices of the Students: YCI Alumni & Students Illuminate the Future
The skill of world-renowned stained glass artisan J. Horace Rudy (1870-1940) of York is evident in the Art Nouveau-style windows proudly displayed in York College’s Schmidt Library, Brougher Chapel, and the Founders Room in the Iosue Student Union building.
it is highly desirable that two should be placed at the same time, so as to preserve the symmetry of the arrangement.” Dr. Ehrenfeld explained that the cost was “not to be expensive . . . If each resident ex-[York Collegiate Institute] student will contribute $1.00 it can easily be done.”
The windows originally hung in the York Collegiate Institute building erected in 1886, located on the corner of College Avenue and Duke Street. Dr. Charles H. Ehrenfeld served as its president from 1916 to 1929. The school would evolve into York Junior College (1941) and then York College of Pennsylvania (1968).
Over the next few decades, 30 exquisite windows - four long and 26 sash - were financed by students and alumni. In 1962 when the building was scheduled to be razed, the windows were removed and stored on the new York Junior College campus on Country Club Road.
In 1918, in recognition of the design of the Institute’s first official seal — also created by J. Horace Rudy – Dr. Ehrenfeld issued a memorandum announcing that the seal would be incorporated into the theme of a stained glass window funded by the Class of 1918 and installed in the school’s auditorium. The memorandum continued, “Since these windows are arranged in pairs
Through the fund-raising efforts of the Women’s Auxiliary of York College in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the windows were brought out of storage and repaired. The last of the four long windows, funded by the young women of the 1918 Sigma Delta Literary Society, has been removed from storage and is in the process of being repaired. It will be installed later this year.
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York Junior College: 1941 Heeding President of York Collegiate Institute Dr. Charles Ehrenfeld’s 1926 recommendation that the school evolve into a college prepartory institution, in the late 1930s the Trustees instructed Dr. Lester Johnson to conduct a survey to determine if the community felt there was an interest and need for a junior college in the city. After receiving positive feedback, preparations were made to open the “York Collegiate Institute Junior College” in October of 1941. There were 42 students enrolled and tuition was $425 per year. In 1944, YJC began offering terminal courses in engineering, pre-medical, and radio technology. Though renovations had taken place before and since it opened, by the mid 1950s, the facilities of the grand building on College Avenue and Duke Street were quickly
becoming inadequate to handle the increasing enrollment; from 1952 to 1956, it rose from 260 to 506 (51%). Like the surge in enrollment YJC saw at the end of WWII because of the G.I. Bill, the same held true for the vets returning from the Korean Conflict (1950-1953). A search for a suitable location began under the presidencies of Dr. Robert Dawes and Dr. Marvin Buechel. In 1957, the Trustees exercised an option to buy the 57 ½ acre tract of land owned by the Out Door Club on Country Club Road for $250,000. The final payment was made in October 1959, the same academic year in which YJC became fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. A classroom building was added to the existing property; by March 1961 the move from city to suburbs was complete.
York Junior College
The first class of the York Collegiate Institute Junior College, October 1941
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Last Principal, First President: Dr. Lester F. Johnson Dr. Johnson started his career with York Collegiate Institute as a mathematics instructor in 1925. He was promoted to President of YCI and Principal of YCA in 1934. In 1940, Dr. Johnson proposed to the Board of Trustees that the creation of a junior college would be more of an asset to the community, echoing Dr. Ehrenfeld’s suggestion in 1926. This idea came to fruition in 1941.
York Junior College
Dr. Johnson was the only HeadmasterPresident to preside over all three of YCP’s former institutions simultaneously: York County Academy (1935–1948), York Collegiate Institute (1935–1948), and York Junior College (1941–1952), making him the last principal of the Academy, the last Headmaster of the Institute, and the first President of York Junior College. In honor of his many contributions to the evolution of York Junior College, the Dining Hall located in the Student Center of the Country Club Road campus was dedicated as “a loving tribute to Dr. Lester F. Johnson” on October 18, 1966.
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Dr. Robert G. Dawes, Second President Dr. Robert Dawes became President of York Junior College in 1952 and served in that capacity until 1956. In 1954, he was appointed Chairman of the National Committee on Student Personnel by the Association of American Junior Colleges. During his tenure, enrollment nearly doubled at YJC, making the need for larger facilities evident. Dr. Dawes envisioned a new campus and four-year status for the junior college. To steer the institution in this direction, he restructured the College’s organization and was the first President to attend all meetings of the Board of Trustees.
York Junior College
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Dr. Marvin Buechel, Third President
York Junior College
Dr. Buechel served as President of the quickly-changing York Junior College for less than two years: from 1956 until his sudden death in February 1958. Early in his presidency, he told the York Dispatch that he wanted YJC to be the “best public private school anywhere,” insisting that the institution must continue to be, and expand its role as, part of the community. One of the most significant moves toward expansion occurred during Dr. Buechel’s brief tenure when the Trustees decided to exercise the right to purchase land on Country Club Road for a new campus in 1957.
The school officially adopted a new seal with its move in 1961.
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Dr. Ray A. Miller, Fourth President
The Yorker, October 7, 1958
From ’60 to ’62, Miller organized the move in stages, utilizing the facilities of both campuses. York Hall, the classroom building and library, was the only new structure on the old country club property when the move was completed. Dr. Miller immediately strove to increase the number of full-time and tenured faculty and to raise funds for new buildings on campus. In September of 1968, York Junior College became York College of Pennsylvania and with this change to a four-year institution, Dr. Miller adapted the existing curriculum
to include all branches of liberal arts. As President of York College, Dr. Miller experienced not only the granting of the first baccalaureate degrees, but the cultural and social changes of the late 1960s and early 1970s. When he retired in 1975, his legacy was one of phenomenal growth and academic excellence; the campus had grown from 1 building to 10 and he established an academic ranking system. In 1976, the Administration Building was dedicated to Dr. Miller, the YCP leader who took YJC from a small community school to a four-year college, at a new location and a new direction. When the Heritage Society was established in 1992, Dr. Miller returned to campus from his retirement home in Florida as the guest of honor.
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York Junior College
Ray Miller assumed the presidency of York Junior College in 1959 after the sudden passing of Marvin Buechel, who had begun the process of acquiring a new campus in 1957. Dr. Miller promptly began finalizing plans for the move from city to suburb and the growth of YJC. By 1959, the final payment to the Out Door Country Club of $50,000 was made.
Dr. Ray A. Miller 1914–1998
From The Tower to Horizon: The New Campus, 1961
Students helped in the move from The Tower (Duke Street) to the new Horizon (Country Club Road) during break, Spring 1961.
The YJC yearbooks: 1961 and 1962.
York Junior College
This unique imprint shows both the Tower (Duke Street) and York Hall, ca. 1961.
The Classroom Building: (York Hall) completed in March 1961 cost: $174, 915 and accommodated 1,030 students
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When There was Plenty of Parking In 1961, York Junior College had just moved to its Country Club Road campus. In those early years, you couldn’t drive through the stream, Tyler Run, because there was no ford. There was a strict dress code: no dungarees, sneakers, or Bermuda shorts, for example. You rooted for the “Flying Dutchmen” or the “Dutcherettes” at sports events, and, for your convenience, there was a pay phone in the lobby of the classroom building. This 1961 photograph shows the YJC campus in that first year. What was known as “The Clubhouse (1)” and “The White House (2)” are visible, as is the only structure added to the grounds of what had been the Out Door (Country) Club for the campus: York Hall (3). Country Club Road (4) zigzags to intersect with Rathton Road.
York Hall (now Campbell Hall) was much more than a classroom building; it was also the Admissions and Records Offices and the Library. “The Clubhouse” of the Out Door Club was referred to as “The Administration Building” where everything from the dining hall to the Office of the President was located. “The White House,” which had been the greenskeeper's cottage, was the Student Affairs Building. By 1966, (YJC's 25th anniversary), the gym, two dorms, a student center, and the library and maintenance buildings had been added. The history of this plot of land before it became the second campus of York Junior College is on page 37: “There’s Still a Course (or Two) On These Old Links.”
4
York Junior College
2
1 3
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New Campus Dedication: Oct. 2, 1965
York Junior College
Dr. Miller welcomes Gov. Scranton on the steps of the library.
. . . and assists Gov. Scranton with his regalia before the program.
Gov. Scranton at the podium.
William W. Scranton served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1963-67. In his address during the Campus Dedication, Gov. Scranton urged the members of the audience of 1800 to “further human relations in the United States.” He pointed out that, “Since the turn of this century our nation has progressed rapidly in every field of endeavor except human relations. The rest of the world, in comparison has moved far ahead of us. We have made little progress.” Scranton went on to serve on the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest after the Kent State shootings in 1970 under President Nixon and was Ambassador to the United Nations from 1976-77 under President Ford.
The Yorker, October 18, 1965
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There’s Still A Course (or Two) on These Old Links Yes, the campus was at one time a golf course, but it was also a farm, and part of a vast estate belonging to one of York’s leading business men. On an 1821 map of York, only one place looks familiar in what would become Spring Garden Township a year later: a mill marked with the name, “King.” This is where YCP’s King’s Mill Depot building sits today. An 1860 map shows that the land southeast of the mill where about 1/3 of the campus now lies was owned by farmer Charles Glatfelter. By 1876 (1), the remaining 75 percent of what would become the campus of York Junior College in 1959 was owned by Grier
Hersh, one of the county’s most prominent citizens. His estate was a vast 400 acres and by 1894 (2), included York’s first golf course. (The next time you play a round in York, think of Grier Hersh who was the very first to tee off in the county.) So, when Charles Glatfelter’s property came up for auction in 1898 (3), both Hersh and his golfing buddy and neighbor, A. B. Farquhar, bought parcels to add to their estates: “Springdale” and “Edgecomb,” respectively (4). The two decided to lay a public, nine-hole golf course on this new addition to their lands. A greenskeeper’s cottage and clubhouse were added and thus, York County could access the game of golf for the first time.
1
continued on pages 38 & 39
3 2
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York Junior College
By 1903, Hersh had sold his interest in the course to Farquhar who sold it all to the Country Club of York. It is about this time that the rural road that runs east and west at the entrance to YCP’s main campus was officially named “Country Club Road.”
continued from page 37
There’s Still A Course (or Two) The club owned and managed what once was the Glatfelter Farm turned HershFarquhar public golf course turned York Country Club until 1957, when increased membership created a need to expand. And thus, starts our chapter in this history. York Junior College (1941) was located in the York Collegiate Institute building (built 1876) on Duke Street and College Avenue. Though the enrollment had been lean during the war years, it greatly increased during the late 1940s and 1950s in part, because of the G.I. Bill (1944). A search for a new campus with room for expansion began.
York Junior College
The next “link” to YCP’s campus is a social organization, which had been located on Madison Avenue since 1892: The Out Door Club. The facilities there did not include a golf course and by the 1920s, the sport was rapidly growing in popularity. In 1928, when the Country Club of York purchased land at “Crows Nest” (what once was Wyndham Hills) to expand from a 9- to an 18-hole course, the land was sold to the Out Door Club.
4
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on These Old Links In 1956, Y.J.C. President Dr. Robert Dawes, under the direction of the Board of Trustees, took an option to buy the land and structures from the Out Door Club for $250,000. The final payment was made on October 1, 1959. York Hall, the first building to be added to the old Country Club property, was dedicated on September 1, 1960. The original clubhouse (5) served as YJC’s cafeteria, administrative offices, and bookstore (some of the original utility pipes are still here). And the greenskeepers’ cottage (6) housed the Office of Student Affairs. So, what is left of the Hersh and Farquhar estates? And what of Charles Glatfelter’s farm still exists? Hersh’s 19th-century prominence is evident only in the name of the alley that runs
parallel to Jackson Street and perpendicular to Y.C.P.’s Grantley Hall on West Campus: Hersh Alley (or Lane). As for “Edgecombe,” the sign on the entrance to the older section of Wyndham Hills, just past the intersection of George Street and Country Club Road, alludes to York’s onetime principle industrialist: “Farquhar Estates.” Finally, what of the Glatfelter land? In 1961, Edward Glatfelter ‘48 presented YJC President Dr. Ray Miller with an academic mace, crafted using wood from his great-great-grandfather Charles’s farm (7). This ceremonial staff has been carried by the Chief Marshall of the Academic Senate at every commencement since then. And every graduate can confirm that there’s still a course or two on these old links.
7
The original clubhouse.
6
Dr. Ray Miller and Dr. Charles Rollins with ceremonial mace.
The original greenskeeper’s cottage.
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York Junior College
5
Voices of the Students: Cool Cats, The Cold War, and Round TVs There’s something charming–or is it alarming? – about “This Is Your Challenge!,” a 1952 York Junior College fundraising prospectus. The green and white colors and stark black and white photography are typical for that era – The Cold War – and convey a sense of uncertainty, and perhaps desperation. But, if you look beyond the design, you catch rare glimpses of student life on YJC’s College Avenue and Duke Street campus during the school’s first decade. These include photos of students in the classroom, at study, and engaging in extracurricular activities.
The design and layout of this booklet are curious by today’s standards. Yet, a closer look reveals student life and glimpses of the interior of the 1876 York Collegiate Institute/ York Junior College building that the school occupied until 1962. It was razed later that year.
York Junior College
The pictures of students in the classroom include some fascinating 1950’s technology: Television and Radio Servicing, Typing,
Chemistry and Physics classes. Images of the Cassat Library and lounge show students at study. The Christmas Dance, a basketball game and a class play put on by “The Footlighters” are featured in photographs that were taken in the gymnasium and auditorium. There’s also a map which shows that 68% of the student body was from York City.
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Voices of the Students: The Bob Riese Film
House” which served as the offices of Student Affairs, and Tyler Run before there was a walking path (that wouldn’t happen until 1969) and before it was diverted so that the original gym could be expanded (1968). Riese’s film also has a few shots that were taken during the traditional tug-ofwar between incoming freshmen and sophomores.
Riese’s photos show the campus when there were only three buildings that had been added to the Out Door Club property: York (Campbell) Hall, the gym and the girls’ dormitory. The photos show the dorm in its construction phase and the exterior and interior of the “Clubhouse” where the Office of the President, the bookstore and cafeteria were located. There are photos of the “White
Most of the 200+ photos feature students: in class, socializing, recreating, etc. on the onetime golf course and country club. They were not taken by a professional photographer, but a York Junior College student. The Bob Riese photos capture campus life from his point of view and have proven to be, time and again, an invaluable and unique depiction of school history.
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York Junior College
In December 2014, York Junior College alumnus Bob Riese, Jr. ’63 donated two rolls of 127 mm. film to York College’s archives. The negatives contained photos he’d taken in 1962, but had never gotten developed. On these rolls are over 200 images of York Junior College – images of the earliest of days on the “new” campus – which had never been seen before.
Dr. Ray A. Miller, First President
The Yorker, October 7, 1958
As President of York College, Dr. Miller experienced not only the granting of the first baccalaureate degrees, but the cultural and social changes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
York College of Pennsylvania
When he retired in 1975, his legacy was one of phenomenal growth and academic excellence; the campus had grown from 1 building to 10 and he established an academic ranking system. In 1976, the Administration Building was dedicated to Dr. Miller, the YCP leader who took YJC from a small community school to a four-year college, at a new location and in a new direction. When the Heritage Society was established in 1992, Dr. Miller returned to campus from his retirement home in Florida as the guest of honor. Ray Miller assumed the presidency of York Junior College in 1959 after the sudden
Dr. Ray A. Miller, 1914–1998
passing of Marvin Buechel, who had begun the process of acquiring a new campus in 1957. Dr. Miller promptly began finalizing plans for the move from city to suburb and the growth of YJC. By 1959, the final payment to the Out Door Country Club of $50,000 was made. From 1960 to 1962, Miller organized the move in stages, utilizing the facilities of both campuses. York Hall, the classroom building and library, was the only new structure on the old Country Club property when the move was completed. Dr. Miller immediately strove to increase the number of full-time and tenured faculty and to raise funds for new buildings on campus. In September of 1968, York Junior College became York College of Pennsylvania and with this change to a four-year institution, Dr. Miller adapted the existing curriculum to include all branches of liberal arts.
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Dr. Robert V. Iosue, Second President In 1976 at age 43, Dr. Robert V. Iosue, new president of York College of Pennsylvania, told the York Scene and Alumni Gazette that he chose to accept the position because the institution was “committed to its students and to the community,” adding that “these qualities are tremendously important and ought not to diminish as colleges grow.” Indeed, his legacy proved to be one of prudent growth and strong ties to the York community and established a comfortable and approachable demeanor with everyone on the campus. When asked what he was most proud of having achieved during his 15-year presidency, Dr. Iosue said that he’d always wanted to put a chapel on campus which would serve all students, all religions, and the community. He accomplished this in 1988 and takes additional pride in his design of the Brougher Chapel Bell Tower. Dr. Iosue is the author of three books, including Fun and Games on Campus and Starting College: A Briefer for the College Bound. With Arthur Gladfelter at the York Area Chamber of Commerce, ca. 1976
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York College of Pennsylvania
Dr. and Mrs. Iosue with former U.S. President Gerald Ford on the campus of YCP, September, 1979
Dr. George W. Waldner, Third President Dr. Waldner, Vice President for Academic Affairs and a Professor of Political Science at Wilkes University, succeeded Dr. Iosue as president of YCP on July 1, 1991. Prior to his presidency at YCP, Waldner earned his A.B. in Government from Cornell and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton. In a 1991 message to the student body, Dr. Waldner stated that “York College of Pennsylvania is a community of learners and learning, whose members share the common bond of active participation in academic and campus life.”
York College of Pennsylvania
In the 21 years that Dr. Waldner was President of York College, the enrollment doubled, new majors were added, and more than $250 million in facilities enhanced the campus, including the new Willman Business Center and West Campus.
Dr. Waldner and YCP Board Member Tom Wolf (center) receive a check from The Bon-Ton Vice-President Bruce Thorud for their investment toward York College’s $5 million capital campaign.
Dr. Waldner acknowledges the York International Corporation for their $100,000 pledge to the James T. Dresher Scholarship of York College.
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Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith, Fourth President
renewal of this historic city building. Also, Marketview Arts (2015) and the Center for Community Engagement (2017) opened in downtown York, greatly increasing the College’s presence in the city. Since 2017, York College has received its largest-ever philanthropic gift. Retention and graduation rates have increased, and its first comprehensive campaign was launched. The recent acquisition of the Colonial Shopping Center ensures that campus expansion is in the near future. This year, YCP begins its 231st year as a school, 140th year as a part of York Collegiate Institute, its 77th year as an institution of higher learning, its 50th year as a four-year school, and the sixth year of the presidency of Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith. As she said during her inaugural address, “I have challenged York College to move from Great to Greater. I have asked my colleagues to think about what a greater York College will look like and I have pledged to help to make this future a reality.”
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York College of Pennsylvania
In November 1873, York Collegiate Institute, the school that would evolve into York College of Pennsylvania, opened its doors as a private, Christian-based institution. At the opening ceremonies, Rev. James McDougall, first Headmaster and President, explained that the new school would not be instructing girls as if they had the same ability to learn as boys: “Great evil has resulted from ignoring or denying the distinction between the mental constitution of the woman and of the man . . .” One hundred and forty years later, York College of Pennsylvania inaugurated its first woman President. Before coming to YCP in 2013, Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith was Provost and Academic Vice President at Drew University, as well as the Porter Professor of Physiology at Spelman College. She also held academic appointments at The George Washington University and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. For 12 years, before joining Spelman, Dr. Gunter-Smith was a research scientist and science administrator at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Since assuming the presidency in 2013, Dr. Gunter-Smith has introduced a new general education curriculum, Generation Next (GenNext), began the Graham (entrepreneurship) and Eisenhart Community (nonprofit leadership) Scholars’ programs, and initiated the Civil Engineering and Master’s in Education Technology courses of study. This fall the College was restructured into five schools, adding levels of increased academic support. Dr. Gunter-Smith has also re-energized and rejuvenated the College’s role in the community of York. One of the first steps she took in this direction was initiating Spartan Service Day in October of 2013. This annual “pitch in” event calls on faculty, students, and administrators of the College to take on York City cleanup and beautification projects. “All of us are here to say this is our college town,” Dr. Gunter-Smith said. Other examples of renewed outreach efforts include the renovation of the Yorktown Hotel where YCP Hospitality Management majors are taking part in project-based learning, giving them the experience of being active participants in the planning and design phases of the
YCP History: Brick by Brick The York County Academy and York Collegiate Institute are the two oldest schools in our lineage. Though both structures were razed in the 1960s, a time when parking lots and green spaces in the city were in high demand, there are mementos of both on campus. The York County Academy stood for 179 years on North Beaver Street. Dr. Millard Gladfelter, a 1916 alumnus of that school, recovered two bricks from the rubble of the late Georgian-style building when it was razed in 1966.
York College of Pennsylvania
The York Collegiate Institute (and the first York Junior College) building, a Victorian Romanesque masterpiece, was designed by renowned architect J. A. Dempwolf in 1886. Many graduates of both schools were saddened by its razing in 1962 as were members of the York community. Local history aficionado, Judge John Rauhauser, Jr. collected several bricks from its wreckage.
YCA class of 1921
In 1986 when the Student Union Building underwent a major renovation, a room dedicated to YCP’s rich history was created. At the time it was known as The 1770s Room. When it came to designing a fireplace, then York College President Dr. Robert V. Iosue asked Dr. Gladfelter and Judge Rauhauser, both supporters and friends of the college, if they would donate the bricks they’d salvaged to be incorporated into its construction. They enthusiastically obliged. The keystone of the fireplace was thus built from the bricks of YCA and the hearth from those of YCI.
YCI Class Photo, 1870
The room is now called The Founders Room. Its fireplace was constructed using the building blocks of our heritage and stands in tribute to the schools which together evolved into York Junior College (1941) and York College of Pennsylvania (1968). Dr. Robert V. Iosue in the Founders Room, 1986 View these and other historic images at library.ycp.edu/archives Photo Gallery.
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Voices of the Students: Repealing the Dress Code: How “Far Out” Students Fashioned A New College
The Boycott: February 24, 1970
The Petition was in the hands of the faculty in time for it to be discussed at the monthly meeting of the Academic Senate on February 5, 1970.
And for the library, specifically: • Shorts may be worn only to return or take out a book, provided the student wears a full-length coat over the shorts. Looking at these regulations 50 years later, it is easy to understand how the student body of this new four-year institution bristled under rules that seemed antiquated. But what drove the students to confront the College administration about policies that had been in place since 1941? The catalyst was the suspension of one student. (continued on page 48)
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York College of Pennsylvania
Pages 16 through 19 of the 1968-1969 Student Handbook lay out, very specifically, what is considered appropriate dress for women. A sampling of this is: • Shoes with moderate heels • Dresses, dressy blouses, dressy shoes, and hose And for the men: • Long trousers, dress shirts, and suitable business or sport coats • Socks at all times • Dungarees are not appropriate anywhere • Clean shaven, without beards, and have appropriate haircuts
Repealing the Dress Code: How “Far Out” Students Fashioned A New College (cont.) During the registration process in January of 1970, a male student promised that he would cut his “inappropriate” hair before classes began on January 12; he did not. Nevertheless, he attended classes the entire first week of the semester. On Monday, January 22, the student was suspended for violation of the dress code, his tuition promptly refunded. Reports of the incident spread rapidly throughout the student body. A “Dress Code Committee” was formed and approved by the Student Senate. After the committee conducted a survey of the 1,200 students, a petition to abolish the dress code garnered 700 signatures and received the approval of the Student Senate by a vote of 11 in favor, 0 opposed, 2 abstentions. Though we don’t have the original document, the opening statement appears in the minutes of the Faculty Senate, February 5, 1970: “The following York College students have elected to accept the responsibility of individual appearance.”
President Ray Miller met with College officials the following day, but no changes to the dress code were made since, as Dr. Miller stated, “we do not change other policies in mid-year.” Both the College and the student who had been suspended retained attorneys. The matter went before Judge Shadle on February 13. After a compromise was reached, the student was readmitted. The dress code, now referred to by the press as the “appearance code,” was still intact. There were additional suspensions, rallies, and demonstrations – and plenty of media coverage – culminating in a boycott of classes on February 24. In the February 25, 1970 issue of the Daily Bulletin, Dr. Miller reported that at a meeting of the Administrative Council the petition was discussed. He wrote, “It was decided that students would be given the opportunity to accept individual responsibility for [their] appearance, with the provision that the College reserve the right to reject the dress of those who are ‘far out’ in their appearance.”
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Long sleeve shirts, sports coats, “hose” and low-heeled shoes: students adhered to the Dress Code in the 1960s.
There was an enhanced, unofficial dress code during orientation: beanies and name signs.
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Alumni who experienced this tumultuous phase of our history have remarked that they were both motivated and anxious: did they have any legal right to attempt to change the rules of a private institution? And if not, how could they make themselves heard by College officials? Under the threat of suspension or expulsion, was it worth it? The majority of the York College students thought it was. Throughout the discussion, more and more members of the faculty and the Board felt that having a dress code as policy was no longer a realistic expectation on a 1970’s
college campus. The Administration finally agreed to review the dress code (Student Handbook 1970-1971), leaving the decision to the faculty to determine what was acceptable attire in the classroom. The Handbooks for the academic years of 1971 to 1974 state this as a policy. By 1975, there is no mention of a dress code at all. The repeal of the dress code is a significant chapter in the College’s history. The documents, press clippings, and images from this period in early 1970 reflect not only the evolution of a young college, but the cultural changes that were occurring across the country. The first classes of York College fought for much more than the right to dress the way they wanted; they fought for an avenue through which students could be involved in the administrative process.
There is evidence that there was resistance to the Dress Code at least five years before the boycott: (Left) An article in the May 3, 1965 issue of the student newspaper, The Yorker indicates that some students were not in compliance. (above) This October 3, 1965 unauthorized student newspaper, The Speak Easy (left) includes a poem on its front page. Titled A Student’s Lament, it includes the line, “Where beards grow free, as the leaves on the tree.”
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The Dress Code as it appeared in the 1965 Student Handbook. Dungarees and sneakers are not to be worn.
Voices of the Students: Three years after York Junior College moved to Country Club Road in 1965 there were already seven new buildings on campus with 1,557 students enrolled. One of these structures was the girl’s dormitory, Springettsbury Hall (today, Beard Hall) located on what was then known as the “lower campus,” i.e., Tyler Run separated the upper from the lower. That year, the Board of Trustees explored the feasibility of putting a bridge over the creek so that cars could get from one to the other. They met with Anthony Lunetta of the Department of Forests and Waters (now the Environmental Protection Agency) who explained that though it would be possible, Campus 1962
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Even though there was a pedestrian bridge across Tyler Run, stepping stones which created a short cut between the upper and lower campuses are evident in this detail from a 1970 aerial photograph (detail shown below).
1962
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Why We Splash Through Tyler Run a bridge would have to be 25 feet wide and six feet high to cover a distance of just 200 yards, and the cost would be “prohibitive.” The Board and Dr. Miller agreed that the such an expense for a relatively small convenience was not in the College’s best interest. By 1973, the enrollment had grown by 54 percent to 2,875 and another dorm had been added to lower campus. It was in June of that year that the Student Senate requested that a ford through Tyler Run be created. Over the summer, the Board researched and approved the waterway. It was completed in November. We’ve been fording Tyler Run for 45 years. The February 9, 1990 issue of The Spartan includes this clever cartoon drawn by a student of the ford through Tyler Run. The building in the background was the gym.
Aerial view of campus, 1973
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From the 1973 Student Handbook
Voices of the Students: Before He Sent “Greetings from Asbury Park”: The Springsteen Concert, 1972 It was November 11, 1972, and the tickets cost $1.50 in advance. The Student Senatesponsored concert featured Crazy Horse, a group that worked with Neil Young. And a 23-year-old guy from New Jersey named Bruce Springsteen got second billing.
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Albee Tellone, one of Springsteen's roadies, recalls that the students who had promoted the concert helped him and the others carry and set up the band's equipment, which included keyboard player Danny Federici's iconic Hammond B-3 organ (a six-person job). One of the YCP people on stage assisting the sound crew was Tom Gibson, then Chief Engineer of YCP's radio station. Gibson recalls that it was a rousing concert with the second-billed Springsteen energizing the crowd more than Crazy Horse. Once it was over, Gibson tore down the sound system, wrapped the cords, and picked up one of the discarded posters as a memento.
In 2016, Jim shared the original pictures from the concert with YCP’s archives. And Tom Gibson donated the “Crazy Horse with Bruce Springsteen” poster he’d saved. Though it took over four decades for the photographs and the poster to find their way, the images of one of the most notable concerts on campus have come home.
The November 17, 1972 issue of The Spartan covered the concert. News Editor Bill Balmer, ’75 wrote that Springsteen “is a New Jersey performer, who has just signed with Columbia Records.” The performance was a promotional tour for the group’s upcoming debut album, “Greetings from Asbury Park.” Balmer continues, “Bruce Springsteen is an exciting addition to the American music machine. I have no doubts that we will be both hearing and seeing a lot more of Bruce and his band in the future.” The student staff photographer for the event was Jim Abram who took more than four dozen photographs on that memorable Friday night in the gym. (Maybe the crowd was “Blinded by the Light” of Jim’s flash?)
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Voices of the Students: “Undefeated Since 1787”: Fact and Fiction “Undefeated Since 1787” is one of the most popular merchandise imprints sold in the York College Bookstore. This tongue-incheek statement incorporates both fact with fiction: The York County Academy, the earliest school in our lineage, York College and York Junior College have never been represented by an official collegiate football team. However, their predecessor York Collegiate Institute (1871-1945) did field a high school team for 16 years. Started in 1890 as an informal team, it would not be long until the program would become an official sport. Even though it was an official school sport by YCI, the team struggled with the inconsistency in uniforms and no field on which to play. By the turn of the century, the York Collegiate Institute Football Team would play annually against its rival York High in a memorable, intense series which could be
compared to the Army v. Navy rivalry. In an 1903 game against York High, the final score was 12 -0 (see inset of photograph) in favor of YCI’s “Orange and White” team (see inset of photograph). Despite enthusiastic participation in the sport, the program ended in 1906. While there is a legend that states that the program was shut down by a Board Member who’s son suffered a fatal concussion during a game, this is just a myth. The truth is not as tantalizing: football was dropped due to insufficient equipment, funds, and facilities. Kudos to the bookstore for the slogan, “Undefeated Since 1787” which intertwines fact and fiction, giving a nod to our 18thcentury roots while prompting the perennial discussion about football at York College. By the way, in a 1893 game against York High, YCI suffered an 8-6 loss, unfortunately meaning that the school was never undefeated. - Kyle Murry, ’20 and Karen Rice-Young, ’92
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York College of Pennsylvania
The 1903 York Collegiate Institute’s “Orange & White” Football Team.
Voices of the Students: These guys Rock: Vince Rice and Terry Lieb
and now.
Rice and Lieb: Then (1972) . . .
The members of the class of 1972 (the first class to graduate since York Junior College became York College of Pennsylvania, eight semesters before) were in a unique situation: If there was going to be a ritual or tradition, it had to start with them. Class President and Student Senator Terry Lieb and fellow Senator/ Ways and Means Committee Chair Vince Rice considered a variety of options, but in the end they decided on a permanent addition to the campus: A boulder that could be signed by seniors on graduation day.
Alas, “Ol’ Spart” did not fare well during the relocation; twenty-two years after it had been delivered to campus, the rock fractured and broke into pieces. YCP did what it could to preserve the original monument by collecting shards and fragments and embedding them in commemorative paperweights. The College replaced “Ol’ Spart” with another boulder of limestone so that the tradition of signing “The Rock” after commencement could continue.
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Over 40 years of graduates have painted “The Rock” on graduation day. “We are both very proud and tremendously gratified that College president Dr. Ray Miller approved of the signing of the rock has become part of the idea and suggested that Lieb and Rice the York College experience,” Rice says. contact York Collegiate Institute alumnus Rock on. Henry S. McFall ‘32, who was in the quarry business. They met up with McFall at “York Stone & Supply” and chose a large piece of limestone. The 23,800-pound rock was delivered on November 12, 1971 to the east side of the present-day entrance to the Bookstore. “The Rock” – or “Ol’ Spart” as it was called in the early years – remained in that spot until 1994 when it was moved to make room for construction and renovations. 54
Above, Lambda Sigma Chi Sorority, 1941. First Greek Organization of York Junior College. On the front cover: Tom Xavios, President, Class of 1974 View this and other historic images at library.ycp.edu/archives Photo Gallery.
A special thanks for their help with this publication. Karen Rice-Young, Archives & Special Collections Manager, and Author of this Publication. Kyle Murry ‘20, Research Assistant Lance Snyder, Director of Creative Services Gail Huganir, Director of Editorial Services Colleen Karl, College Writer